Lemons and Lace headband; Target top (similar, similar); Kohl’s skirt; F21 sandals (similar); Threads bracelets; Pink Lemonade Handmade fringe necklace.
I’ve been reading The Happiness Project lately and it’s the type of book that gives you a lot of little bits and pieces to think about on a daily basis. I read it mostly at night before bed for a short time and find it is a great book to read in small spurts. I like books that I can learn from (not to mention romance novels that I can escape into!) I also tend to read several books at once, so The Happiness Project is one of those that works well with others.
The other night I was reading a chapter about career and work life and I was struck by the thought,
“What do you choose to do with your spare time?”
This one question fuels the answer of what you like to do for pure pleasure. I’m not talking about menial chores and things we have to do, I’m talking about how you choose to spend your time after all that is done. Do you garden? Read? Write? Shop? Create something? What is that certain something that makes you happy from start to finish? Is it more than one thing? Looking at what you like to do for pleasure can give insight into a career that could fulfill you in a way your current job does not.
1) In my spare time I love to read most of all. I have always been a reader and will always find some time in the day to open a book or read on my Kindle. Books and the characters within make me happy and I love the escapism as well as the love of words and writing that the author creates.
2) I love to write and create stories. I have multiple story ideas in my head and have always liked putting my thoughts on paper and creating something. Good writers inspire me and I think reading a lot makes me want to create better things.
3) I adore style, fashion, reading fashion magazines and keeping on top of trends. It makes me absurdly happy to shop and put together different looks on a daily basis. Reading style blogs is another thing that makes me happy and fuels inspiration for who I want to be that particular day (week? month?) Style constantly changes and I enjoy looking forward as well as studying past looks.
After looking at what truly makes you happy you can then try to find a way to create a life or occupation around that concept. I mean, think about what you would do in your wildest dreams if you had no worries (money, family, thinking about what you should do due to education…)
I have an undergrad degree in Business Management and recently got my Master’s in Reading Education. I taught school for three years and worked hard to get a degree in higher education so I could go back to teaching. Now, though? I’m not sure I even want to go back to that, which is scary because we spent all this money and it took a lot of time to earn a degree I may not even technically use. I have some inner turmoil about working so hard for something I thought I wanted, but don’t really anymore. I wanted a “career,”something that would transfer well with our many moves, but is it something I truly enjoy?
I really want to continue what I’m doing now, rather than going back to a traditional job. Creating daily content for this site and writing on the side (an ebook!) makes my heart sing. I like being my own boss and coming up with goals and connecting with new people daily. My blog enables me to use all the things I love doing in my spare time and in the end I do use my degrees in Business on a daily basis, as well as what I learned in Grad school. I don’t believe you ever waste an education and I always have that to fall back on, but now I want to see if I can use my true passions, writing and style, to create an occupation that I enjoy doing on a daily basis. Something I never feel forced to do, or tire of.
Tell me: what is your passion? Do you use them in your daily life?
P.S I’m also reading:
Read any good books lately?
