The Question and An Answer

I have been working for a long time. And yes...I feel tired. I have been at the point, for some time, where seeing the sun shining is enough for me to start praying, "Oh Lord, help me get through the day".It's not even that I have a bad job or work for a bad company. On the contrary, the company is good, my boss is a nice person and the job is...well, challenging is the adjective that comes to mind.

As part of my job, I do a lot of research. So there I was sitting, researching, trying to find an idea that would work for my product, to help attract more people to it. I stumbled on a site that answered, not the question I was looking to get a reply to but one that has been buzzing around in my head for so long. The Question: What should I do with my life?

Discontent with a life that seems to be humdrum and difficult, alternately worried over financials and tired from trying to make work work for me, this article touched me. I know there are others like me who have been trying to figure out what next. Please bear with me and take the time to read this interesting article called, "What Should I Do With My Life" by Po Bronson.

I have forgotten how to dream...or did I ever learn how? But this article still nailed on the head why I felt there was no point in dreaming. Practicals first, I need money (survival). And apparently, smarts can't answer the question or there'd be a whole lot of happy people around me because I know so many smart people.

I think the following quote is why my life partner is a successful person. He has answered and continues to be, everyday, as this portion says,:

I struggled with this myself, but not until I had listened to hundreds of others did the pattern make itself shockingly clear. What am I good at? is the wrong starting point. People who attempt to deduce an answer usually end up mistaking intensity for passion. To the heart, they are vastly different. Intensity comes across as a pale busyness , while passion is meaningful and fulfilling. A simple test: Is your choice something that will stimulate you for a year or something that you can be passionate about for 10 years? This test is tougher than it seems on paper.

In the past decade, the work world has become a battleground for the struggle between the boring and the stimulating. The emphasis on intensity has seeped into our value system. We still cling to the idea that work should not only be challenging and meaningful -- but also invigorating and entertaining. But really, work should be like life: sometimes fun, sometimes moving, often frustrating, and defined by meaningful events. Those who have found their place don't talk about how exciting and challenging and stimulating their work is. Their language invokes a different troika: meaningful, significant, fulfilling. And they rarely ever talk about work without weaving in their personal history.

Have I found it...I know I'm a step closer in the right direction.