We spend at least a third of our lives on work. In order to make this satisfying in the long run, the best-case scenario is to go out and pursue something we love. However, the reality and our financial situations usually cut in and most of us tend to “settle” for jobs that provide us with financial security in the long run, but for which we don’t have any passion.
In pursuit of comfort and with a focus on immediate gratification, we tend to live out our lives without ever really having anything personal at stake. However, the true road to happiness is quite different – and there are more and more people who gather courage to change their career in order to become more satisfied with their life.
The hardest part
Let’s discuss an inconvenient truth that probably brought you into this position in the first place – the hardest thing is to be objective about yourself. First of all, people have the wrong idea about what this actually means – it’s not about being harsh to yourself and admitting what personal flaws compelled you to veer off your desired path, it’s about assessing what you can do to change your immediate circumstances.
If you have a passion for something, there’s no reason to believe you cannot become good at it with a lot of practice. It’s the lack of time that prevents people from even trying. If that’s the bottom line, put it like this – no matter what you do, time will run by you anyway. Why not use it to do what you’ve always wanted?
Energetic social circle
Once you embark on this “project” that is meant to change your life, no matter what type of business it is, the people you surround yourself with are a crucial factor. One of the most important things you need to do is to break free from negative patterns. Many of these patterns stem from chronically bad relationships with family and lifelong friends.
You should do everything you can to minimize contact with people who put you down or who are lazy themselves and compel you to spend time with them – doing nothing but acting as two couch potatoes. This is something you can’t compromise on. Don’t get me wrong, nobody is perfect, but it makes all the difference in the world if other people’s bad habits and patterns of behavior influence your life directly.
Other people’s problems are not your burden or your responsibility. If you keep wasting your time on them, it’s just another comfortable excuse on your part. Instead, surround yourself with those imperfect people who have at least few traits that lift you up and energize you to do your thing. It’s not hard to find these people – they are pro-active and positive. It’s also not hard to befriend them. Pro-active people tend to be open and friendly.
Go back to school
In order to achieve some of the more radical changes, you’ll have to be prepared for the long haul. Sometimes, this means going back to college for an additional degree. Investing time is unavoidable, but the best way to save time is to continue where you left off and go on to gain a master’s degree or a doctorate, or opt for international baccalaureate or IB tutoring to get a valid diploma. Don’t forget that critical thinking and learning skills are a necessary baseline for any future plans.
Bonus: Create a tight schedule
In order to achieve a certain degree of discipline and work towards a bigger goal, the best method is to create a tight schedule of your daily activities and stick to it. Discipline is the crucial factor for your success. Calculate how much time you spend on leisure and cut it by half, just for starters. Fulfill the rest of your time with productive work, maybe even a collaboration with one of your eager friends. In the long run, all of it has to contribute towards achieving the main goal.
Your road to a fulfilled life depends on what brings you happiness. The point of this is not to convince you to leave your comfortable job and pursue something that appears to be your passion on a whim. What if it turns out it’s not your passion when you’re halfway there?
If your focus is on building a family and a protected nest of a household and your goal is to nurture your grandchildren one day, it’s a perfectly valid life choice. This one is for those who feel as if they are living a half-existence, the people who have embraced average life by default or out of necessity and can’t get rid of that passion burning within.
Read: HOW TO MOTIVATE KIDS TO LEARN AND BE INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL AT SCHOOL
About the Author:
Tracey Clayton is a full time mom of three girls. She feels she knows a thing or two about raising happy, healthy and confident kids, and offers helpful advice in hers parenting articles. Her motto is: “Live the life you love, love the life you live.”
Read More from Tracey: https://highstylife.com/women-
