This entry is a little “rough around the edges”. It was a short Facebook post I made. Wasn’t really sure I wanted to edit it. It gets the point across well enough, faults and all. . .
Looking through my NoteTab Light program (I keep quotes and random facts and clips from articles in there). Found this about living a fulfilled life:
“But researchers now believe that eudaimonic well-being may be more important. Cobbled from the Greek eu (“good”) and daimon (“spirit” or “deity”), eudaimonia means striving toward excellence based on one’s unique talents and potential.”
Do what you’re best at; there may be a reason you have your particular talents. Make something of them.
Julian Linn choreographed some of the most famous plays in Broadway. Her accomplishments include choreographing the original Jesus Christ Superstar musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s recent Phantom of the Opera movie, and the broadway hit, Cats.
When she was a child, she had difficulty at school. Her parents were called into the school to meet with the school psychologist. The counselor met with Julian and her parents and talked to her about why she is fidgits and can’t focus on lessons. The counselor asked the parents to step out with him and left Julian in the office with the music on.
Outside, this counselor told her parents that there was absolutely nothing wrong with their daughter, but that she doesn’t belong in school, because she is a dancer. He recommended they take her out of school and put her in dance school immediately.
She’s now a multi-millionaire and choreographs some of the most famous plays of the last several decades.
A counselor today would probably recommend that a girl or boy like Julian take Ritalin to cure the obvious “ADHD” condition of the child.
The lesson? Use your talents wisely. We all have a unique skill set. It is rare for someone to be bad at everything. Find a line of work that someone will pay you for and that you enjoy doing (and that you are good at). Enjoying your career (and being good at it) is far more important for your happiness than making a lot of money but hating your job.
Do not accept the warnings of your teachers that you must hate your job. Accept a career that gives you the feeling that you can make a positive difference in the world by doing it. If you aren’t working in a field of your choosing now, try to work towards being there at some point in the next decade. You may have to “pay your dues”, but you need to situate yourself into some line of work that matters to you.
“Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing,
you will be successful.”
– Albert Schweitzer
© David Metcalf
Roaming Thoughts 