Figmentations

What if you can’t make a living doing what you believe is your dream job? 

What if your (or your family’s) standard of living isn’t compatible with your perceived life’s purpose?

What if you could modify what you believe to be your life’s purpose in a way that you could make enough money to live the life you want?  Would you be satisfied or would you consider that selling out (which according to Wikipedia means: “compromising your integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or success”)?

On the other hand, if you couldn’t fully realize your life’s purpose, what if you gave up pursuing it completely and instead pursued a decent income, put food on your family’s table, and raised happy healthy kids?  Would that be a regretful life?  By anyone’s standards, it doesn’t have to be…it all depends on your mindset.

Consider this post by Chris Brogan, The Owner’s Mind, and the question he asks: “are you ready to own the fact that you’re not an employee?”  I like how he describes how you can own what you do even if you are not the owner of the company you work for.

Earning a living doesn’t have to be considered selling out.  If you can’t figure out how to make money doing what you love and you instead choose to work a 9-to-5 job, are you really sacrificing a dream job (that doesn’t really exist) in order to make a living?

Conversely, would the act of quitting your day job and/or living the life of a struggling artist make the world a better place, or help get your work seen?  Not necessarily. 

While it is true that when you are doing one thing, you are not doing something else. It is also hard to dispute the fact that no matter what your life’s purpose is, you can do a whole lot more if you are happy and healthy than if you are struggling and barely able to get by.

As much as some people are all gung-ho with positive thinking and believing in a world of infinite possibilities, sometimes it just makes more sense to take care of your basic needs first before blindly jumping to pursue a higher purpose (as also indicated in: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs).

Just because you are earning money doing something other than what you love doesn’t mean you always will, and doesn’t mean that you can’t still find other ways to find a meaningful purpose in what you do or how you lead your life.

In what ways do you find meaning in your work and in your life?
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For a list of all posts in this series go to: Finding Purpose (actual links will be posted as each post becomes live.)