Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a week of work and writing. I’ve made some headway on my story and I’m loving where this is going. Hopefully, this is the one.
But enough about that, today I’d like to talk about doing what brings you joy. Many people grow up believing there’s a single career path they need to follow because it’ll lead them to success. They work hard to achieve this lustrous goal only to find when they achieve it, they aren’t as happy as they thought they’d be.
Now a lot of this is the fault of parents who with good intentions wish to raise self-sufficient adults. But instead of telling our kids they need to make a lot of money. Let’s tell them to find what brings them joy and do that. Maybe if we had kids pursuing those dreams we’d have fewer unhappy teens and fewer teen suicides.
I know what you’re thinking, if we have kids pursuing a dream of being an artist and they can’t sell their art, how do they become self-sufficient? A very good question and I am here with an answer.
In order to pursue their joy, a young adult has to be able to support their dream. They must buy paint, brushes, and canvases, right? So, to do that they’ll have to get a job. Now, the job isn’t all that important, it’s just money to support their dream, but they’ll learn so much from that job. They’ll learn how to get along with people. They’ll learn negotiating skills, and most importantly, they’ll learn what they don’t want to do with their lives. That’s an important lesson to learn, don’t you think?
Another reason everyone should pursue their joy is because it builds resilience. It’s true. I’ve found that a person can handle their bad days on the job, if they know they’re working there for something other than just the money. If they know it’s helping them obtain some other goal.
If they’re there just for the money, they may start to feel trapped and that leads to depression.
So, teach your kids to chase their joy. Whatever it may be. It’ll teach them so much about life and give them direction. Moving forward is important, but we as parents can’t pick our kids lifestyles and goals. They must pick those for themselves. So, why not encourage them to chase something that makes them happy?
Now, most kids have more than one goal. Let’s say they want to be an artist, and have a family. So, now they have more than one goal, and they need to find a job that can support both goals. So, now they really have to think about how to do that. They may start looking into careers that require artistic talent like a graphic artist or an architect. See how this all works? They reached their goals pursuing what they loved to do, and they’re happy.
I know this sounds simplistic, and there are many ways obstacles appear on everyone’s journey, but when you break it down, it really is as uncomplicated as this.
Thanks for reading my post. What makes you happy? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
I’ve been a caterer, waitress, fitness instructor, advertising film promoter, and now teacher. Soon to retire from all, I look forward to what is next
Good for you! I can’t wait for retirement. LOL! More time for me to write!
What a wonderful post, Lisa 💗 What you suggest is truly simple and makes common sense ☺️ Life is truly a box of chocolates – you’ve got to try a lot to figure out what you 😘 Cheers and Happy Writing, my friend 🥂
Thanks for stopping by, Sharon. I appreciate your kind words and support. Happy writing right back at you!
Lovely post that speaks to the way people build their dreams are get a little further away from them, depending on their means to an end. Pursuing joy, though, is a simple thing I aspire to do every day. ❤
Good for you! I think more people should do it. I try every day to pursue what I love. I can always tell when I’m doing it too, because I’m happier. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your support! 🙂
In my part of the town, cultivating hobbies among kids was never an agenda. However, now some people have started doing so but still not on the level it should be.
Things are changing. That’s for sure. Sometimes it takes a little longer than we’d like. Thanks for stopping by, Arv! I appreciate your support! 🙂
Absolutely true. You are welcome, Lisa