Society Debate: Jobs: Is it all about the money?

What about loving the job? I have never understood people who study so hard in school to be able to do what they always wanted to do and then after go looking for jobs out of their education bracket simply because that is where the money is. You find thousands of graduates asking questions like, where can I make the most money or what’s the quickest path to the top? How about doing what you studied so hard to do? The most important question should be: What lights me up? I understand that it is expected of us to love or, for some people even, worship money because without it we have nothing. What most people ignore is the fact that someone can actually be satisfied with a low income job simply because they love what they do and would never trade it for any other high paying job no matter what. As hard as it is to believe, some people’s lives do not revolve around money and how or when they can make some more. People who do what they love regardless of how much they are paid have the ability to put in more energy hence boosting success. After all, isn’t that what we are here to do, to be successful at something we have always wanted to do? Doing work you do not enjoy is like trying to be what you are not; kind of like hypocrisy. Why get stuck up at a job that is hated, a boss who is despised and colleagues who irritate you just because the pay is good? The job might get done, but it doesn’t come naturally. You will always feel more confident doing what comes naturally—what you are designed for, if you will—than doing something that is more akin to putting on a costume. You can never be anyone else but you. And when what you do is aligned with who you are and what lights you up, you have more potential to perform at your peak. So we shouldn’t question why so and so has the ability to work at a top organization for a rich in-law but would rather stay at the local grocery they work for. Persistence comes easily when it’s about doing what you love. The odds of creating a great career without running into trouble along the way are non-existent. When roadblocks come in pursuit of something loved, it’s easier to blow through them than when experiencing them in pursuit of something that doesn’t really energize you. Passion feeds persistence. People doing what they love are more peaceful at heart and need no pills to help them through the day lest they get a nervous breakdown. Feel free to take things like money and opportunity for advancement into the picture. They’re important but don’t forget to ask, ‘what lights me up?’ ‘What is going to let me do and be my best?’ When you do, you maximize your long-term potential. For the sake of one’s sanity and the possibility of being a danger to oneself and others, doing what you love or at least doing what you do with love, whichever way you see it, is the one step to living a very happy and fulfilling life. rachelgaruka@yahoo.co.uk