“Eighty percent of financial success is mindset” (Marisa Peer, 2020).
Yes, you can make a living doing that. How many of us absorbed this message growing up? Probably not many. Most likely we were told that it was only possible to make a living doing certain jobs, specifically, the ones that most people did. The tried and true paths. I think we can acknowledge that this type of fear-based mentality is normal. This is just our inbuilt survival mechanism kicking in. Without it there is the chance that we may not survive. Also, this idea was a product of its time. It started with the Industrial Revolution and it was manufactured for the good of society. It had nothing to do with the wellbeing of the individual. Unfortunately, it has been passed down to a time in which it is much less relevant.
That time is now!
I’m prepared to challenge this entire framework. To me, the wellbeing of the individual and the good of society are one and the same.
A career or job role that isn’t the right fit, is not:
Practical, Stable, Financially Viable or Sustainable Long Term...
All we have to do is look around at the people we know and we will see this.
People who are in job roles that aren’t right for them may experience anxiety and depression, take time away from relationships that they value, develop addictions to fill the void, overspend on luxuries or holidays to make it seem worthwhile, overeat as comfort, get sick, and burn out!!
I can relate to most of these.
So, we compromise our relationships, our happiness and our health for the illusion of stability and success.
If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that there is no stability. Life is never certain. It’s full of unexpected turns-of-events that allow us to grow and experience surprise, excitement and wonder. Without this element of ‘possibility’ we might just curl up in tight little balls and lose the will to go on. Unfortunately, some people do.
When we are depressed, sick and burned-out, we will most likely lose the motivation to do even the things that we love and do best. When this happens, we are not providing as much benefit to society, or to ourselves.
It may seem like a novel idea, but what if we are allowed to be happy? Yes, what if we exist on this earth to contribute to it through our joy, our motivation, our ideas and our talents?
Instead, we are told “You don’t need to like your job”, “Nobody has the perfect job”, “Nobody’s life is perfect” and “Nobody can make money doing that”. In other words, “I am afraid and suffering because I want to feel safe, so I would like you to suffer as I am suffering. That way, I will not have to confront and accept responsibility for the life choices that I’ve made that have made me suffer”.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on that…
Of course perfect isn’t a thing, but the underlying message is that we are not supposed to be happy.
Some of us are working in environments that are not congruent with who we are or who we want to be. Some of us are working alongside people we don’t connect with. Some of us are working at a pace that our health or personality can’t sustain. Some of us are so far out of out comfort zones that we are chronically stressed and anxious. Some of us are not feeling valued for our contributions.
I believe, from personal experience, that the more we work with our strengths the more valued we feel, the more motivated we feel, the more energy we experience, and the more creative we become.
I also believe that when we experience a sense of purpose, motivation and flow, we can make money doing absolutely anything. People do it. The only difference between us (if this doesn’t apply to you, please delete your name here) and them, is that they haven’t placed these restrictions on themselves. They hold the mindset that their skills have value, and they have given themselves permission to make their happiness and wellbeing priorities.
There are as many job possibilities in this world as there are people in it. Ours might not even exist yet – we can invent our own. We can also have as many job roles as we want during our lifetime, or at the same time. We don’t even have to call it ‘work’ if we don’t want to. We can call it ‘life’. We can put it into scheduled compartments, or we can mix it all up together.
Yes, this is our life and we get to choose. We can do whatever we want with our life…
And to reiterate,
Prioritizing our health and happiness is the only way to a life that is; practical, stable, financially viable, sustainable long term, and of benefit to society.
Don’t let your mindset stop you!
[You can download my book, ‘In Pursuit of Energy’ from Amazon Kindle if you would like to read more about my commitment to wellbeing since my recovery from chronic fatigue https://www.amazon.com.au/Pursuit-Energy-Lessons-learned-journey-ebook/dp/B07NDSCC5N/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=penny+muller&qid=1596080560&sr=8-4]
Peer, M. (2020, 27 July). Get paid to do what you love (YouTube).
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