Perspective

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that I know that I had awesome parents.   There are pieces of wisdom that my dad passed on to me that deserve to be shared with everyone.

One of the most important things my dad taught me was that while it was great to have a job you liked, and even better to have a job you love; that was not a guarantee.  Don't get me wrong, he pushed us to think about what we wanted to do, and how to make the best contribution to making the world a better place that we could make, but cautioned us that life sometimes gets in the way of the realization of dreams.

So, he counseled us to do the best we could to find a job we loved, and a career that we could be passionate about.  But to always remember that your work is not your life; your work is what you do so that you can make the life you want.

I deviated from the easy life path early on, as getting pregnant at 15 in the 10th grade is on no "how to succeed in life" list ever made.  So, it was an uphill battle to get to the work I loved.  But all the jobs on the way were OK, because I knew they were a means to an end.

First goal, a job with benefits.  I wasn't going to get one of those without a skill, so I went to New Jersey Job Service, and they put me through a battery of tests and placed me a CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) training program.  I got a job with benefits.  As a payroll clerk.  It was the first step in the direction of great life.

Every subsequent job I learned something.  I tried to enjoy every job I had, but the early jobs were not very fulfilling.  But, they were helping me build a life.  And I was garnering new skills.  And I was forming new relationships.  And I kept moving forward.

I was fortunate to have come of age in a window in time when companies offered tuition reimbursement.  So I was able to go to college at night and finally obtain my bachelor's degree.

My goals back in 10th grade were similar to most adolescent goals, very unfocused.  I wanted to be either a neonatologist, a teacher, or an editor.

I ended up a safety professional.   So, I got to fulfill the nurturing, caretaking, teaching, creating and polishing dimensions of my 10th grade goals in a totally different way.

And I always remembered my dad's advice.   Because the thing is, when you finally have that career you are passionate about, you can focus too much on it and leave your family out. And let your life take a back seat to your job.

This is especially seductive if you are good at what you do and receive a lot of praise for it.  And if your home life is going through the inevitable tough times that all good lives contain.

So dad's advice was my compass.  It kept me true to what is really important.  The relationships and people in my life.

Perspective.   Your work, your job, your career; however important, is not your life.   Remember to keep things in order.  Your work provides the means to create the life you want.

The everlasting benefit of this perspective is that retirement doesn't create a vacuum.  It just is a new opportunity to live out the dreams you have that work hasn't allowed time for.

For me, that is my crochet, my book and this blog.

So, if you are stuck in a job that is not fulfilling, focus on what you can make of your life with the income from that job.   And think seriously about your Vision.  It is the lifeline you can hang on to in life's most troublesome waters.