It’s simple. Do what you love.

AU in the fall, beautiful

Do you get anxiety on Sunday nights, knowing you are spending another week at a job you don’t like?  Are you emotionally exhausted by the end of the day?  Does your job stress you out to the point where you are constantly sick or in a bad mood?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have a question for you.  WHY?! Life is so precious, friends.  Too precious to waste 40 plus hours a week doing something that does not make you happy.  Don’t tell me jobs are scarce and the economy is tough.  Don’t tell me you are stuck. There will always be excuses. Take charge of your life.  Take ownership.  You, my friend have a god given talent and somebody out there is looking for it.  Every single one of us has a purpose. You were put on this earth randomly, even though it may feel like it sometimes.  Most likely, your purpose and your talents are directly correlated with what you are passionate about.  Think of the things you love doing, that you look forward too. Think of the things you loved to do as a kid that made you unique.  Go do those things. Maybe stepping out of where you are is not that easy for you.  Maybe it will take sacrifice.  You are right, maybe it will.  But I promise you that sacrifice is worth it.  Let me tell you about my good friend, Suz.

Suz is one of my best friends from college and anybody that knows her, loves her.  She is literally a ray of sunshine and the most caring person I have ever met.  She is the kind of person you meet at a party for the first time and she sends you a card on your birthday for no reason other than she wanted to.  I’m serious people, this girl is gold.  Anyway, Suz was an accounting major in college and she landed an amazing job right after graduation at an accounting firm.  Things were going just as planned, she got a new apartment close to her work and she could not have been more excited.  Well, a few months went by and she realized she was not happy in this career.  So, despite everything she worked for and how “perfect” everything seemed, she pumped the brakes.   She moved back home and went back to school for Nursing.  So for 4 years, while everyone else was moving up in their careers and living on their own, she was starting over.  She could have listened to people thinking she was crazy for leaving a good  job right when the recession hit.  She could have just dealt with it.  But she didn’t. THAT is courage.  THAT is taking control of your life.  It was a hard four years for her,  but it was all worth it in the end.  Fast forward to this past weekend, I was talking to her on the phone about her first official week as a Nurse in her new job.  I could have cried just listening to the happiness in her voice.  Okay, fine I cried stop judging me.  If you knew what this girl went through to get to the place she is now, you would have cried too.

YOU were put here for a reason.  I am 100% sure of it.  Maybe your purpose is to start off people’s day by making them coffee at Starbucks, maybe it is to mold the minds of children, or fix cars, or to be a full time mom.  It does not have to be groundbreaking.  You have no idea the ripple effect that will take place by simply doing what you love.  Who cares if it doesn’t make you a lot of money.  Who cares if it wasn’t what your degree was in. Who cares what other people will think.  Go make a plan and make it happen.  Maybe where you are right now isn’t where you want to be, but it is a necessary stepping stone for where you want to be, that is great.  We all have to pay our dues, but we do not have to be stuck.

Maybe you really do like your job, but you are just in a rut lately.  Remember the things that made you excited about it in the beginning.  Go back to that place.

On average, between my two jobs I work about 60 plus hours a week.  But no joke, it feels like 20.  Are there days when I am tired and maybe not as excited about going into work?  Of course! But my career exhausts me in a way that is empowering.  I know I am doing my part in this world.  I work with an amazing staff (see above)  that are as passionate about helping students as I am.  When I leave the office, I get to spend my weekends and evenings with some seriously inspiring and fun clients.  All of the hobbies I get to participate in between those hours are just frosting on the cake.

Go find your passion, go find what you love and DO THAT.  I promise, you will not regret it.

Stay blessed in the mess 🙂