We all have these dreams when we were growing up, whether it was to be a ballerina, veterinarian, president, singer, firefighter, cowboy, etc. We had that dream, but as we got older, we realized that some of these dreams just weren't possible...so we changed them.
Yet, when we are older, trying to make that dream career work we fight it everyday because ultimately...this isn't the dream career, it's a nightmare. It's at that point you have to realize that maybe what was your dream isn't what you're going to be happy doing.
I always wanted to be a high school teacher, even after I decided to join the military I told myself that I would teach when I left the Army. After my short experience at a Chicago high school, I am reconsidering if teaching is what I want to do. No one should ever come home from work and automatically crash out for two hours, or spend more time complaining about work then talking about what was good that day. I realized that maybe, just maybe, while I wanted to be a teacher it isn't what is going to make me happy.
It is true that life is too short to be miserable in your job, or in anything.
So if you realize that what you thought was a dream is simply a nightmare, then make a new plan, set new goals, find new dreams, or dig up old ones. Don't torture yourself, do what will make you happy, even if it takes a few tries.
That's my advice at least.
A perspective on life, the world, and how it all comes together....in the mind of one person among many.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Who Are You?
Learning about yourself is the hardest lesson to learn, however, it is a necessary one. It is especially hard if you think you already know....
What we know of ourselves is generally connected to what we do. The question, "who are you?" comes to mind. A general response is "I'm a Sales Manager", "I'm a Business Executive", "I'm an Army Officer" "I'm a (insert profession here).....When did our jobs become who we are? We aren't what we do, so why does that seem to be a common response?
Shouldn't the response be about the values we hold, the person we are away from our professions, our goals, our dreams? That's too much in a fast paced world, and for a lot of people...way too touchy-feely. I try to answer that question without the common response. I know what I do, but who am I?
I know the values I hold, I know the goals I have, but who am I when I'm not at work? With a world that's based on public perception it's more about "How do you want the world to see you?" (It feels like an entirely different question, but really the two become intertwined)
The standard answer of, "Someone who is confident, and goal oriented, and driven..." Yea, I get it we all want to come off as the most awesome person in the world, but that doesn't really happen often. So think about it... How do you want the world to see you? If you can answer that question right off the bat, credit to ya...but is that really who you are, is that really how the world sees you? Or is it just what seems like the thing to say because it makes the most sense?
Questions like these are never fun for most people, it can feel like you're getting tased and waterboarded at the same time (yes I know...that equals death), but really it's just an opportunity to put down the cell phone, the computer, the workload, and just take some time for introspection without having to go on some nature hike and eat berries you've never seen before.
Take the time, I am.
What we know of ourselves is generally connected to what we do. The question, "who are you?" comes to mind. A general response is "I'm a Sales Manager", "I'm a Business Executive", "I'm an Army Officer" "I'm a (insert profession here).....When did our jobs become who we are? We aren't what we do, so why does that seem to be a common response?
Shouldn't the response be about the values we hold, the person we are away from our professions, our goals, our dreams? That's too much in a fast paced world, and for a lot of people...way too touchy-feely. I try to answer that question without the common response. I know what I do, but who am I?
I know the values I hold, I know the goals I have, but who am I when I'm not at work? With a world that's based on public perception it's more about "How do you want the world to see you?" (It feels like an entirely different question, but really the two become intertwined)
The standard answer of, "Someone who is confident, and goal oriented, and driven..." Yea, I get it we all want to come off as the most awesome person in the world, but that doesn't really happen often. So think about it... How do you want the world to see you? If you can answer that question right off the bat, credit to ya...but is that really who you are, is that really how the world sees you? Or is it just what seems like the thing to say because it makes the most sense?
Questions like these are never fun for most people, it can feel like you're getting tased and waterboarded at the same time (yes I know...that equals death), but really it's just an opportunity to put down the cell phone, the computer, the workload, and just take some time for introspection without having to go on some nature hike and eat berries you've never seen before.
Take the time, I am.