My mom sent me a great article that she sweetly cut out of Oprah Magazine just for me. The article discusses how to find the job that’s right for you – the type of job that you love and can see yourself doing forever. You can read it by clicking here.
Here’s an excerpt:
If you’re trying to figure out what to do with your one and only life, you need to stop thinking rationally—and go a little wild.
I spend a lot of my time lately contemplating what I want to do with my life. I’m a thinker and a slight introvert by nature, so I can easily see the minutes and hours fly by as I sit with ideas about the future swimming around in my head.
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One part of the article really hit home for me. It says to write down a list of moments where you can remember being truly happy doing an activity. They warn it can feel silly writing down things like shopping for groceries (which is totally NOT one of mine by the way), but if you were happy doing it, it goes on the list.
Here is my list of things I like to do that make me truly happy:
1. Scour out garage sale signs and go digging.
2. Take a vintage item home and research what it goes for online.
3. Being silly and dancing with my husband in my living room.
4. Talking to (nice) visitors at my NPS student job and teaching them something new about history.
5. Reading my favorite blogs.
6. Clicking “vintage” when searching Etsy
7. Writing a story (creative writing, not writing papers for school).
8. Finding some anecdote or fact when doing research that just blows my mind so much that I have to run and tell it to my husband
9. Making something as a gift for others.
10. Reading a book for pleasure.
11. The calming feeling of painting a piece of furniture to make it new again.
The vast majority of mine, I noticed, are creative by nature.
The next step of the article is to take your list and form a career out it. Seems simple, right? Of course, I made the mistake that most people make. The article says we often pick the “right” or “accepted” or “traditional” path with the things we love. I like to read. I like to write. And, I like old stuff and history. So, naturally I should go to graduate school for history. Right? Eh… I’m not so sure…
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed a lot of my graduate school experiences. My mind will always look at the world in a new way. But, I will never be a professional historian, which is what people typically go to history grad school to do. Similarly, the article talks about people who like to cook, so naturally they go to culinary school, but it may be the wrong fit for them.
So my question is, where do you draw the line between your hobbies and your job? If you make your hobby your job (like how I love to dance but disliked teaching dance as a side job in college) does it ruin your love for the hobby?
I LOVE to take pictures…if I had it to do all over again, I may have gone to college for it! I would love to make it my full time job but my pictures are not quite that good (yet!).
This is a GREAT POST! I’m kind of at this point in my life where I have to decide if i’m going to pursue the career I’ve already invested mucho time and money in or take a different route. yikes.
I love to cook… but culinary school might make me HATE cooking. I LOVE art. Looking at it, analyzing it, and MAKING it…. but I dropped out of art school b/c i hated being told what to do.
who knows anymore.. you def got me thinking. Thanks love <3
xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
I have always tried to turn my hobbies into a job and then I hate them and move on to something else. So I say dont do it!! Good luck though lady!!
love your guts
mandi