Are you doing what you love?
Isn’t that the question of the day? As we slug from job to job, moving up or down the corporate ladder, find ourselves out of work or pursuing some other options, are we happy? Or are we just content to be moving about life at whatever pace it finds for us?
Two and a half years ago, I quit my full-time corporate job to open a photography studio full-time. I was told it was crazy, the industry was over saturated, you can’t get rich as a photographer. But guess what? I am crazy. The industry is over saturated and to-date I have not gotten rich … financially.
But, I own my studio. I own my space. The studio name (Pure Expressions Photography is you’re not aware) is out there. People recognize our work. I get to hang with my kids, take off in the middle of a Wednesday with no accountability to my boss and it pays the bills.
Perfect, right? Well … sure … except I’m the kind of person that as soon as perfection seems too easy, I jump into something else … though this time, I’m not giving up the first thing I do because I do still love to do it.
So, now, I have my job, my business and more artsy-fartsy stuff — in writing. Not that I didn’t already do it, I have just separated my lives, compartmentalized is probably the better name for it.
On any given day, I may find myself with camera in hand. On another day I’m writing a newsletter. The next moment I’m at the computer taking away zits from a teen’s face and turning to my laptop to add a scene to my work in progress, or edit Mirage or writing a flash fiction piece.
People tell me all the time that I “do too much.” What I say to them is …
“I love what I’m doing.”
This is what I want to do for the rest of my life — run a successful business, photograph neat and cool people and write stories.
The beauty of it all is that the stories often come from those neat and cool people that I photograph and thus make my business successful.
Wow. So, by doing what I love, I reap all the benefits.
How cool is that?
Have you pursued your passion today? Even if you aren’t doing what you love ALL the time, do you some of the time?
You are living the life. I would much rather work for myself.
I don’t even want to be rich. I would be fine if I could match my current income with writing. Health Insurance included, of course.
Thanks for the comment on my blog and thanks for voting for my story at The Clarity of Night. 🙂
Is it that you are living the life you love or that you are enjoying the life you live? I do not love the life I live *shrug* it is a simple progression of days but I sure as hell enjoy it immensely. But I save my love for the people who come into my time…It is a Detroit thing.
Be Well and laugh the days away for anything else is life wasted.
You are so correct! “… anything else is life wasted.” 🙂