I had this thought a while ago....am I doing the career that I choose...or...am I doing the career that was expected of me?Well, for a large proportion of my life, I was doing the one that was expected of me. Now...this does not neseccarily relate to the 'job' itself,but to the career expectation, that of....good job, good pay, nice house, nice car, nice tv.....nice things...you know how it goes. But, wheredid this expectation come from? It would seem that it is something that is drilled into us at school and from our peers, from TV shows and films.It is an easy was to control us, give us rigid pathways of what is expected from us. If you don't follow they path, then you aren't as good as someone else who did. But where does this path take us? From School, to University, to a graduate position, to an office job, to 2 weeks holiday, to 40 years crawling up the ladder, a bigger house, car etc, then retirement, then death. But is this right, shouldn't we allow people to excel at what they are good at, let them be creative, explore different avenues, try things out. How do you know at 15 if you want to be a brain surgeon? and conversely what is wrong with being 35 and saying, actually I don't want to be a brain surgeon any more?So was I happy? Fulfilling my expectation....sitting in my nice house, with my nice things....well....no! In fact, I was very unhappy, I worked and worked and worked, doing something that I didn't really enjoy, and as a result, I went out and brought 'things' to make me happy to take away from the unhappiness of the work I was doing, which meant that I had to work more, to pay for the things that I brought....a classical catch 22 situation. But as I tried answering the questions, such as, what woulkd you like to do, what is your perfect day? I was kind of stuck, I didn't know, I want to do many things, and please don't get me wrong, I do want to work, I do want to contribute, I don't want to sit on my backside watching TV, I want to do things that fill me with purpose, something which an office job never could.So then I took the step away, I stopped worrying about what other people thought of what I was doing, and just started doing stuff that appealled to me. It has taken a long time, and it has been very hard (I won't lie about that), and I have (and still do) find myself having to dipping in to things which I don't like, but I am much clearer and happier, I don't have so many 'nice' things, but I have important things. I don't have loads of free time, but time filled with doing things I enjoy.It is real difficult to give an answer to the question 'So what do you do?', as I do so many things now. It would seem like we are conditioned to give an simple answer, e.g. lawyer, doctor etc and then people can put us in a box based on their expectations. How do you deal with someone, who one day is making films, another volunteering, running their own little buisness? It is hard, but I know who I would rather talk to!So, how do you break away? Well it isn't easy, it takes time, it takes thought, it takes courage, but you can do it. Taking baby steps is the way to start living the life that you deserve!Peace
Jobs before computers...what happened?
Following up from the previous post "How did ‘work’ work in the days before computers?", I am still struck as to what is going on in offices and what happened circa the mid 1990's when a computer on every desktop became prevalent. Now we all are sat here, everyone of us with a computer, typing away all day long....but why? Part of me feels that it is to prove that we are doing something, even if there is nothing really to do...it means the creation of new tasks and jobs, just for the sake of doing something at a machine.But this is also counter productive it would seem and also means that office workers seem to generally procrastinate more and feel more unhappy. But these days, the computer has also moved outside of the 'office', it is ubiquitous throughout most industry now, drones of people staring blankly at handheld devices, computers to track movement of food, controls of robots. But this is all new, it has all taken place in the last 20 years, and all I keep thinking is, what was it like before.....what did I do? Was I happier?And to be honest, part of my thinks I was, but maybe in a different way. I mean, as I mentioned before, I am not knocking the computer, I am not being ironic given that I am currently writing this on a computer, but I just know I used to do more things. At work, I would talk more, go for more walks around the office without feeling tied to my machine. At home, I would read, see friends more, and just hangout, but now I feel tied more to checking things online. My purchasing decisions are based on the testimony of strangers on forums, of whom I have no idea of their credentials when giving advice. I spent ages pondering over two options, knowing full well which one I want, but feeling that I have to have my thoughts justified by someone else.I digress, so Jobs Before Computers, we did have them, they involved working differently...perhaps even harder, more physical, more in touch, more dangerously.....we are sold on the idea that a computer makes things easier, faster, with more information feedback, but do we need all of that to know we have done a good job?I would like you hear your feedback, when are you most happiest at work? When typing away at a keyboard or some other time....let me knowPeaceN
Quote
"People have enough to live but nothing to live for : they have the means but no meaning" - Victor Frankl
Peace =@)
Let Go and Live Tip 4
This is the forth a new series of simple tips you could take to try and bring a bit more life back into your life!Tip 4 – Don't make notesGoing to a meeting? Going to a lecture or class.....don't make notes....just sit and listen....and enjoy! Why not?Peace =@)
Let Go and Live Tip 3
This is the third in a new series of simple tips you could take to try and bring a bit more life back into your life!Tip 3 – Just SmileAnother simple one.....just smile =@)Smile at the madness that is surrounding you....if the bus is late, just smile, why not? Is it the end of the world? Can you do anything to make it come sooner? No, so just smile!Late for work? Just smileDropped a glass? Just SmileAs someone once said....."Don't worry....be happy"Peace
Let Go and Live Tip 2
This is the secondin a new series of simple tips you could take to try and bring a bit more life back into your life!Tip 2 – Break the PatternLife can easily get into a rut, or a pattern, but it is so easy to break and just give you something different each day, something outside of work, outside of the regularity and give you time to experience something different, which could bring a smile to your face. =@)Why not get off the bus or train at a different stop? Take a different road to work in the morning?Go to a cafe, restaurant, club, bookshop, place that you have never visited before.Simple things to give you new experiences!Peace
Let Go and Live Tip 1
This is the first in a new series of simple tips you could take to try and bring a bit more life back into your life!Tip 1 - Take a walkSimple hey?Why not take a walk around your town, village or city? Perhaps without a destination, just wander or go down a street you have never been down before. Alternatively, take a new route to your destination, be spontaneous.Why not try following something which appeals to you around the town, or make up little rules such as you can only turn left at road intersections, or only head down a street with the most number of vowels in the street name.It may open up a whole new world to you, right on your door step.Of course you can also use this method to explore cities when on holiday or away for work!