Today's feature is about winning the lottery and what it means:
I heard a story about a 25 year old Welsh man who won 2 million (pounds or dollars I am not sure), who after two years of relaxing, decided to go back to work at... McDonald's. He says McDonald's makes him happy, and "there's only so much relaxing you can do!" Good for him. Of course we don't know if or how he spent all that money or if he still has some left, but he is young, and apparently couldn't find a better job with his previous qualifications.
In a way, I have won the lottery too. I asked myself this, when I had the decision of one of three options:
1) improve my average job performance in the short-term and continue with the 3 month plan of unpaid leave, with the expectation that I'd be back at high performance levels,
2) quit immediately, or
3) get fired
what would I do if I won the lottery (say 2 million dollars)? What would I do if I wasn't afraid? What would I do if the money (or legal permission to stay, or having the less than my ideal boss, or less than my ideal working conditions, etc.) didn't matter?
By asking these questions, I found out I didn't enjoy my work and environment enough to stay, short-term or long-term. It wasn't only the high pressure, demanding nature of the job that got to me. I just didn't care about the work. If the money didn't matter, and I know what I know now, I would no longer choose to work there. If I wasn't afraid of what would happen to me, I would simply quit.
Obviously, when I first took the job 2 years ago, I chose to work there, and it was really great for a while. I really loved it. But after two years, things changed for me, within me, and around me. Now, when faced with the choice, I couldn't pull myself together in the short-term to truly pull off Option 1, and I didn't really want to deal with Option 3 on my "record" so to speak, so I had to choose Option 2. Clear as crystal.
I know now that I can carve out work for myself on things I do enjoy, and freelance & consult for work when I need to pay the bills. I am highly qualified, have paid my dues in that line of work, and I no longer need to be stuck doing something I didn't truly enjoy doing.
I am enjoying life and my work now. I now have the time to pursue my hobbies and fulfill my dreams of being an author of essays and novels. Maybe I am not that young anymore, but I am not scared or afraid, and I have a little faith left in my back pocket...
So, what's stopping you from dreaming your dream?
I would go even one step further and challenge everyone to find what makes you happy and do the things you love as if the money didn't matter. Of course, it helps to pay your dues and get the qualifications you need, to say be an astronaut for example. You have to develop coping strategies to deal with all the crap people throw at you, from strangers and even your own family, and believe in yourself, and have faith that you know you are doing the right thing for you.
I contend that people who work that hard to be an flight pilot or an astronaut or doctor or lawyer are not doing it for the money. (If they are, they are insane). They simply love it and it shows through the people who love working with them.
There is absolutely no reason today why a situation that brings disappointment and unhappiness can't be changed. None, not age, not gender, not where you live or your genetic pre-dispositions. Don't play the victim, "woe is me", it is just boring. It just requires total commitment and resolve to bring about the changes that are needed in you (mostly, I would say your attitude) to get to where you want to be.
Are you loving it??
Tomorrow, I will write about "Process Development: The Stages"
