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Choose Your Headaches
Posted on June 24th, 2008 by Devin
Today’s entry is in the context of careers. In figuring out what you want to do for your career, it helps to look realistically at what you want to do and what you’re willing to put up with.
There are those people that find their dream job and work doesn’t even feel like work. But for most people that isn’t the case. Every job/career has built-in challenges, which are much easier to address and work through if you feel you have actively chosen them. That is why the title today is “Choose Your Headaches”. You won’t be able to control other people at your job, and you won’t be able to control most of what happens at your job. But if you consider your workplace realistically and brace yourself to deal with those undesirable things, you will be in a much better frame of mind to conquer the challenges presented to you.
Hi Devin
I came across your blog when I was looking for RSS feeds relating to mindfulness, and I found this post really interesting and relevant. I’m lucky enough now to be in a job where I’m being paid regularly to do something I love to do - writing.
For a while, when I started on personal development work, I bought into the myth that ‘the only way to do what you love and get paid what you want to be paid for it is to work for yourself’. I tried starting my own business, and quickly discovered that I didn’t like it… I didn’t have the orgnaisational or promotional skills, and I don’t actually *want* to be responsible for finding all my own clients or sorting out my own finances.
About the same time I had that realisation, I also realised that everything I’d originally gone into my own business for - getting to write for a living, helping people, developing my skills - was something I was *already* getting either through my current job, or through activities outside of my job… and I started wondering how much better I could do if I increased my focus on what I was already doing and started making medium- and long-term goals within my job, instead of trying to split it between what I did to earn my day-to-day living, and what I was dreaming of creating some day off in the future. That was a turning point for me.
See, I’d never stayed in a job for longer than a couple of years before this one… I’ve always got to the 18- to 24- month mark and something in me’s said “Enough! Shine’s worn off now, and it’s not fun any more! Time to start looking around again!” - and I’ve either landed a new job, or gone back to temping for a while while I worked out what I want to do. This job is the first I’ve ever been in where I’m still happy being there 2 1/2 years after I’ve started.
Does the job have its frustrations and annoyances? Gods, yes. All the time. But it also has its rewards - a load of fantastic people to work with - the chance to get paid to write (woohoo!), even if I’m ‘just’ writing technical and marketing stuff related to IT - and I’m trying to deliberately orient myself to notice the good stuff and be grateful for it when it happens. Plus, I’m trying (even though it’s not ‘natural’ for me) to orient myself to being part of the solution when it comes to the frustrations, rather than sitting back and engaging in non-constructive complaining about them. Again, I’m not always successful, but the mental orientation helps.
It’s a definite journey - both careerwise, and on an inner level… but it’s really cool to look back and see how far I’ve come since I was in my early 20s, convinced I *couldn’t* hold down a permanent job…
Blessings
Starfire
Startfire- I can tell you’re a writer. Thank you for finding my site and taking the time to write several comments. Take care, and I’ll be sure to visit your site soon!