Doing What You Love Doesn't Mean You'll Always Love What You Do

Published by Thought Catalog

In life we have choices. We make choices every day, many of which pave the path to our future. One of the most important choices is choosing a career. For most of us, this means choosing what we will spend doing for nearly 2,000 hours a year. So how do we choose? As children and young adults, we learn what is expected of us. “Get great good grades so you can get into a good college so you can get a good job.” Along the way we may or may or may not be encouraged by parents and peers to experiment with hobbies such as art, film, dance, writing, theatre, sports, general entrepreneurship etc. I say hobbies because most of us are told these things are JUST that, hobbies. We are taught that when we have extra time we do the things we love, and for approximately 60% of Americans, all other time is dedicated to doing things we hate…working.

A study conducted this year showed that 61% of Americans report feeling unfulfilled at work, or overall in their profession. Considering the majority of people spend 40+ hours a week at work, we really should enjoy what we do to a certain degree. 73% of Americans report only working for a paycheck and only a very low percentage of people report feelings of accomplishment or enjoyment from the work they do.

Today more and more people are working in professions because they have to, not because they want to. The most disheartening statistic stated was that less than one-third of respondents said they would recommend their children go into their line of work. One of the main reasons people work is to raise and support their children. They want to provide the best life and opportunities, but unknowingly (or for some assholes, knowingly) they encourage their children to pursue careers they may eventually hate…enough to end up as part of these statistics. Every year these percentages are worsening.

Why are so many people not doing anything about it?

I am a huge advocate of going after your dreams, so to speak. BUT. Contrary to popular belief, doing what you love is not always loving what you do. Going after a dream typically takes more work, sacrifice, and stress than staying in a job you hate. And I can guarantee your dream career will come with its own set of stresses and setbacks. We are afraid of change and its “easier” to stay in a job we believe is secure. We are biologically wired to want security. And that’s OK. Not everyone can make money sitting on their couch in their PJs or pursuing an art, but more importantly, not everyone wants to. Many people enjoy a stable “9-5” career. Our society needs and appreciates doctors, lawyers, teachers, baristas, and ridiculously friendly Trader Joe team members. If we didn’t have these people civilization as we know it would collapse. I love my neighborhood barista more than some of my own family members. Fortunately, many of these people are the 39% who report enjoyment and fulfillment in their profession.

For the other 61%, listen up. One day you will not be on this planet anymore. No not like when we all end up on Mars because of continued global warming denial. I mean one day you will die. We all will. And we have to make the choice of what we want to do until we die. Morbid? Yes. True? Also yes. My philosophy is that simple ideas lead to a fulfilled life. So, if you are unhappy in your current situation, change it. I hear you yelling, “A lot easier said than done! I can’t change my life because of this or this or this…” One of my favorite quotes is “Excuses are bad habits in disguise.” People get comfortable making excuses to excuse their behavior or lack thereof.

“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.” ~ J. Michael Straczynski

Bottom line. STOP making excuses. Reasons to not do things will always be there. Money concerns will always be there. We all have something holding us back. Eating that cupcake and saying you will start your diet tomorrow. There will always be obstacles holding us back from what we want to do and where we want to be. But that is life. Life is made up of many avoided excuses.

“Life is made up of many avoided excuses.”

Even if you think your career or life seems trivial, you likely had to accomplish quite a bit to get where you are today. (Or maybe you didn’t and if you didn’t then that’s why you are reading this) the point is that you likely didn’t love the steps it took to get where you are today. College applications and job interviews are not always easy or fun. You could have easily made excuses to not do the things you did to get where you are today. Luckily, you avoided making excuses. So, if after everything you have done to get where you are today you are unhappy, then you need to make some changes. It won’t be easy, but we already discussed this. Doing what you love is not always loving what you do. It will be hard, stressful, scary, and likely annoying. But most things in life that are worth doing are all of these things. Choosing a life partner, having a baby, relocating, saying no to that cupcake. All of these are HARD.

“Doing what you love is not always loving what you do. It will be hard, stressful, scary, and likely annoying. But most things in life that are worth doing are all of these things.”

For people who want to pursue an art, start a business, or completely start over and change careers. Many of you are told pursuing a dream is stupid, selfish, irresponsible, childish, etc. The people who tell you this, (even if it’s yourself), f*ck these people. I’m not saying to quit your job tomorrow and move across the country to pursue your mobile wedding chapel app. What I am saying is start taking the steps today to end up where you want to be in the future, so you can eventually quit the job you hate. You have to do what you really, really want to do. Even if it scares the sh*t out of you. Life is just a series of avoided excuses, so start avoiding the excuses that matter most. The excuses that might change your life.