Are You Doing What You Want?

Most of us work to make a living and support ourselves and others. Many of us don’t even stop to think about whether we are living our dreams or not. We trudge along doing the same thing over and over until we are sick of it and can’t take it anymore. I don’t know too many people who love what they do. Are you doing what you want?

My Career Path

When I was a kid, I read a lot. I read thousands of books from all genres; I ate them up, sometimes reading two books in a day! Books were my escape, my passion, and my adventure. By the time I turned 14, I knew all I ever wanted to do was write books. However, as it typically does, life stepped in, and suddenly I was an adult with responsibilities, rent to pay, food to buy, etc. My dreams of becoming a writer faded away and were replaced with “jobs.”

In my twenties, I worked in accounting. I held a high-level management position because it paid well, but I hated the job, and I couldn’t stand working with numbers. Then in my mid-thirties, I opened a computer shop and repaired technology. I re-branded that company later into a web development business that lasted for 15 years. After my surgery, I grew to hate the long hours and sense of urgency. All the years I performed these jobs, I kept hoping somehow, someday, I would find a way to make my way back to my dream of writing. The problem was I had no confidence and low self-esteem.

The Big Change

After my major surgery, I took stock of my life, and I didn’t like a lot of what I saw. I worked with various healing practitioners, including an EFT (Tapping) coach and a hypnotherapist, and I read hundreds of other helpful healing books. I began living a mindful life. My confidence built as I began to heal, and I dipped my toe into the water of change.

The same way kids hold onto the side of the pool while learning to swim; I edged out carefully. I first joined a blogging platform that paid like $8 for every submission. It was awful, but the clients quickly purchased the pieces I wrote, and they begged for more. That made me feel good. So, then I went online and read writing ads and found clients. Before long, I was making as much or more writing than I was with web development, so I sold my company and started writing full-time. The switch was amazingly simple and the transition easy. All my fear, all those years, was for nothing. Once I finally decided to make the move, it all fell into place. I worked for seven years, roughly 10-15 hours a week writing, making more money than when I worked 60-80 hours a week in my other jobs that I hated.

Currently, I am writing a book (one of four) and getting it published. Using a literary agent and editor, helped me to feel very confident about my book and excited to help other people with my words. I have come a long, long way from that frightened twenty-year-old who couldn’t imagine how to start a writing career, and I am now well on my way towards living my dream of writing books.

Are You Living Your Dream?

I see a lot of people working at jobs they hate. Now is the time to make a change and start doing what you want. You never know what tomorrow will bring. I wasted thirty years from fear and insecurity. I could have been writing books my whole life.

One thing Covid has taught us is that life is short. It’s not worth doing something you don’t like or hate just to make a buck. We should all be doing what we love and living our dreams. It is possible, and there is always a way if you have faith. I did it and found it to be easier and more lucrative than I thought possible. I believe you can too. It might take some inner work, but you can get there! No matter what you want to do, it’s never too late. The world is full of endless possibility just waiting for you to make a change.