HOW TO BE HAPPY IN BUSINESS

How to be Happy in Business

I found this via a friend today, and had to immediately post it! How true is this diagram?! 

I spent my childhood dreaming about a "successful" career. Never really thinking about what I wanted my life to look like, or more realistically, not knowing who I was.  They say it takes your 20's to figure out who you are so how are we supposed to know what we want our career's to look like when we enter college in our late teens? 

After realizing that my childhood dream was no where near what I would really want for my life, I found a career path that I thought would make me happy.  I was so motivated to meet my goal to be a zoo keeper.  I spent most of my 20's working hard to get there, sacrificing time with my family, income, and really my sanity for this dream.  I was so lucky growing up, never having a goal I didn't succeed at.  So the thought of never making it didn't cross my mind.  But no matter how much I love animals, years of working seasonally at minimum wage, and never really getting anywhere will burn anyone out. More than the fact that I wasn't "making it," was really that I had grown as a person, changed. My morals, ideals, and views on the world didn't fit anymore.  The zoo didn't fit me anymore.  I had outgrown this dream and wanted even MORE for myself and my family. 

But now what? I spent a decade of energy and time focused on this one dream.  Where now? What now? The biggest question...

SHOULD I WORK A JOB JUST BECAUSE I CAN? 

In an economy like this, I feel so selfish wanting to turn down jobs just because they don't make me smile everyday, but the one thing that has never changed about me is my belief that you shouldn't work a job or stay somewhere that doesn't make you happy or isn't fulfilling.  I have seen too many people working jobs they hate mostly because it's much easier to stay than put in the energy to change.  I by NO means think you should run off and quit your job right now, but find your dream, make plans, and work hard to get there.  The majority of our time awake is spent at our jobs.  Life is too short to squander all that time somewhere that doesn't make you happy. Just like the diagram says "learn to say NO" to jobs that you are good at, but don't want to do just for the income. 

But how do we turn what we do well and what we want to do, into something successful, something that can pay the bills.  The reality is, this life takes money, food, kids, house, cars... It takes a LOT of money.  We can't just run off into dream land without having a solid plan.  

That takes me to the present. Spending my nights and weekends making plans.  Working hard, laying the ground work for my ultimate dream.  It's not all roses.  It takes a ton of energy and there are days when all I want to do is take a day off. Sleep in. But I keep driving forward, why? Because I love it, and I know deep down inside that this whole dream will work out someday, and all this hard work will be worth it.  

What are your dreams?