Are you doing what you love?

**SCDowney** · 10-08-2005, 02:18 PM

I've been doing some reading & thinking about work and happiness this year. I can never settle on what kind of work I really really love to do. I love accounting, but it's not that deep down, makes my knees weak kind of stuff. BF and I went out looking for moose last Sunday; it was so great, I loved being out in the country, it was a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively! I realised that I've held quite a variety of jobs, never focused on a career but have always wanted to. The only thing I have always been definite about is living in the country and having horses & dogs. I've never believed I could achieve this or deserved it, but now I can see it coming, particularly since I've started Dave's method. I would like to go to college, and have the prestige & income from a BA and CGA, but I would love to have a farm. Am I making sense?
Have any of you felt similarly?

**staceyy** · 10-08-2005, 02:37 PM

Who is Dave and what are his methods?

**forestdale** · 10-08-2005, 03:00 PM

Sheila, I can relate to what you're saying. I read recently that people, particularly women, focus too much on happiness! That happiness should just be a by-product of what we do and are and not something consciously sought after. What rubbish. If our lives are not about trying to be happy, what's the point?

I've had a few careers. I started off as a RN, specialising in ER, transplant units and operating theatre. I then went to live in Europe and in my early 30s had my kids. I had a dream of being a writer, so when they were at school, I went back to uni and retrained myself as a writer - majoring in Journalism, Literature and Communication. This lead to me working on a newspaper for 12 or so years and then to being a technical writer. I loved all that work.

But what makes me truly happy? Not working! I love being here on my property with my dogs and chickens, I love tending my vegetables and making bread and jam. I still write, I'm writing a book at the moment, but my true happiness comes from doing what I love, and that is living the way I do. Luckily we have no debt (all that work gave us our lifestyle now) and although my DH and I are on a hugely reduced income, and when we sell our store we'll be living just about on the poverty line, I simply love my life now and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

So I say if you've identified your dream, work out a plan to achieve it. It will always be worth it.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler." Thoreau

Stacyy, I think Sheila is referring to Dave Ramsey.

**staceyy** · 10-08-2005, 03:06 PM

Okay, thanks!

**SCDowney** · 10-08-2005, 05:11 PM

Yes, sorry, I am referring to him!
Thanks ever so much for sharing, Rhonda. I've been so stuck on the idea of professional success, it would give me what I want in the long term, but it would take a longer time to get the farm. And I do feel a certain emptiness inside, not having the country life, horses and dogs; have felt this way for so long I'm numb to it!