Do what you love or love what you do?

[bennyptnk]

As we all know, not everybody in the world get the job that they want to do. That’s because of many reason. Some people don’t know what their favorite profession is, so they just choose the work randomly. The other people actually realise what is suitable for them, but due to the pressure of family, friend,... they decide to follow a different job. If you are one of those people, and one day, you point out that your occupitation is not fit you, what will you choose: Do what you love or love what you do?

Personally, I prefer doing what I love than loving what I do. It’s bacause of a lot of thing:
First, if you do what you love, your job will be a game and the yield will be higher. For example, I have an acquaintance who is an artist. He enjoyed drawing when he was a child, and really yearned to be come famous in art. He follow his dream and as a result, he absolutely succeeded. His picture is often sold with the price about 500-1000$ per one. Miraculously, he can dreaw very quickly, maybe because drawing is his passion. Therefore, if you persuit your dream, I bet that you can succeed fast and suffer less pressure than the other job.

Second, doing what you love help you enjoy the real life comfortably. As a poet said: “Being a lightest candles in one minute is better than being a blur one in whole life”, if you dare to become what you want to be, you will never regret despite how hard it is. There is a story about that. A violet flower live in darknesss with other flower for a long time. She’s tired of that life and want to be come a rose, to see the sun and enjoy the shine. A farry realize her desire, she decides to help her by turn her into a rose. After that, she’s very happy and love the life a lot. However, a storm come to that land and destroy everything, include the “violet rose”. Still, she’s satisfied because she have once stop existing and start living. That the thing we should learn.

Final, chasing your dream carreer can help you save time. According to a research, 98% people who have a job that they arent interested in finally return to their favorite profession. It’s very easy to understand: they surrender with the pressure of which they don’t want to do and the fire of passion still live in their heart. If you know the destination, why don’t you choose the shortest path? Pursuit your dream now is better than cruccify hard works to build some one else’s dream. Don’t let the time fly senselessly. I have seen many old people cry because they regret not doing what they love. I really hope that situation will not happen to you.

Shortenly, following your dream is the best way to success. If you don’t get any thing, you can overcome yourself at least and findout how wonderful it is when you do what the heart said. Just try your best, and never give up!

[Buh4Bee]

I can't understand why some people feel that they are entitled to happiness. Work means that you are working. It is very hard and most people don't feel fulfilled. It's life get over it.

I love my job and it took a very long time to get to where I am. But there are still days when I could just kill someone from the frustration I feel from working. It's not going to be perfect, but of you feel like you are accomplishing something than that's a start.

Some people never feel fulfilled but never give up hope and end up having 6 careers throughout their life. That to me, is a very unfortunate situation.

[The Comedian]

I'm for loving what you do: it's flexible to nearly every situation that life throws at you and, most importantly, you're in control.

I also totally agree with Bee -- even you end up doing what you love, there will come a time, sooner or later, when the requirement of doing it to simply carry on will wear on you and you'll start to dislike your passion. And that would really suck

[Volya]

I can't understand why some people feel that they are entitled to happiness. Work means that you are working. It is very hard and most people don't feel fulfilled. It's life get over it.


A rather pessimistic outlook... Surely you should always try and be happy in life, rather than being content with a dull job you dislike?

[Buh4Bee]

Is there are poll that shows what percentage of people actually like their jobs? I'm curious to know.

Sure, kinda' negative, but I really think that feeling like you are special and deserve happiness at work without earning it bothers me for some reason. I guess I have no patience for people feeling entitled. I guess my point is that you work hard to make your happiness at work whatever that means for an individual.

On the other hand, some people find ways to be content in that dull job, because they need the job- benefits, location ect.. Depend children and wife... I can count at least five people I know that stay in a job, because they choose to out of responsibility to their family.

I think that if you are a young person and have no ties to a family than this is the time to hop around and figure it out. Then definitely do not stay in a terrible job. In my opinion, it is a matter of your priorities and responsibilities.

[Whosis]

I'm sure it's different in other cultures, but the idea in American culture is often to follow your passion, especially with our freedom.

[free]

I don't like to work at all. But, unfortunatelly I was not born in a rich family to inherit enough money and live without working. In this respect, I can work anything that I am capable of and try to like it, try to find something to like it. :)

[papayahed]

What do you do when you don't have a passion? I like to read but I don't want to do it for a living.

[Lykren]

This is a question that haunts me. I stay at home doing almost nothing in my free time, which I have lots of. My job is part-time and to be honest, I'm pretty incompetent at some of its simplest duties. I'm taking Japanese classes, and I think I want to learn to speak Japanese and move to Japan and teach English. But if it's something I want to do, why am I so lazy about studying?

I agree with Buh4Bee that life is unfair, and most people don't feel satisfaction, and that even those who do mostly don't get a lot of it. But I get confused with the 'get over it' part. If I felt I had to get over it, I'd rather just die. Apparently I still believe that someday I can feel okay, because I'm moving, however slowly, forwards (though often I assume I'm just not moving at all - I keep dreaming about being someone different in the future, and I know that's impossible, so in what sense can progress be made?).

I sympathize with papayahed too. There's nothing I like to do so much that I can be relied upon to do it. Sleep, maybe?

[Melanie]

It's not just about doing what you love to do…it's also about doing what you're good at…and doing it with people around you who have positive energy. For instance, if you love to read and you have a good voice you could be a narrator for audio-books. It's also about doing it for others who need it and appreciate it. It applies to anything. You love to read? My daughter was a healthy eating specialist at Whole Foods. They paid her to read anything she wanted to read as long as it could be applied to healthy eating. She has her own business now as a personal chef/food photographer/author/nutritional speaker/radio, etc. and Whole Foods is now her best client. She's still in her 20's. Look at all the careers for people who love to read (pick one you'd be good at too). Some of these, like the last two, can be done from home:
Amazon Publishing Editor
Antiquarian Book Repair Expert
Acquisitions Editor to Screen Manuscripts
Archivist
Audiobook Narrator
Critic
Bibliotherapist
Binder
Book Artist/Sculptor/illustrator
Book Blogger
Book Content Site Editor/Contributor
Bookmark Creator/Seller
Book Scout
Book Store worker then Owner (independent)
Book Fair Coordinator
Book Foundation Volunteer
Book Trailer Producer
Book Website Marketer
Cataloger
College Professor
Conservator
Copyeditor
Copywriter
Cover blurb writer
Critic
Drone Operator (see Amazon)
eBook Conversion Specialist
Editor (acquiring or freelance)
Escort for author tours
Events Manager
Fact Checker
Ghostwriter
High School English Teacher
Historian
Legal Counsel
Librarian (Academic, Public, etc.)
Literary Agent
Literary Scout
Literacy Volunteer
Non-Fiction Indexer
Novelist
Paper Marbler
Photographer
Printer
Professor of Literature
Proofreader
Public Relations
Publicist/PR
Reporter
Restorer
Reviewer
Sales Rep for Publishers
School Librarian/Media Specialist
Screenplay Adaptors
Store Merchandisers
Talking Book & Braille Library Volunteer
Tour Guide (at an author house museum)
Translator
Typesetter
Used Books Seller
Writer @ Goodreads (freelance)
Writer for other online book review sites (hard to make this full-time)


Oh well….after copying, editing, and pasting all this,
I reread papayahed's comment and noticed
"like to read but don't want to do it for a living".
Well, this can be for those who do

[Calidore]

"Book Sniffer"?

[Melanie]

I had to look that up and then deleted it from the list. Apparently the Urban Dictionary had the only definition. That's trouble right there. It just means a "book nerd".

[mal4mac]

As we all know, not everybody in the world get the job that they want to do. That’s because of many reason. Some people don’t know what their favorite profession is, so they just choose the work randomly. The other people actually realise what is suitable for them, but due to the pressure of family, friend,... they decide to follow a different job.

Or someone may think they know what they want to do, but find out they were wrong. The job, or "calling", may not be as interesting as they though it would be, or they fall out of love with it, or they simply aren't up to it. Even if you don't have to work for a living it can be very difficult to find something you want to stick with, Flaubert's great final novel "Bouvard et Pécuchet" is very good on exactly this situation.



If you are one of those people, and one day, you point out that your occupation is not fit you, what will you choose: Do what you love or love what you do?


I retired, now I'm just looking for the next novel to read (another hit and miss affair...)


if you do what you love, your job will be a game and the yield will be higher. For example, I have an acquaintance who is an artist. He enjoyed drawing when he was a child, and really yearned to be come famous in art. He follow his dream and as a result, he absolutely succeeded. His picture is often sold with the price about 500-1000$ per one. Miraculously, he can draw very quickly, maybe because drawing is his passion. Therefore, if you persuit your dream, I bet that you can succeed fast and suffer less pressure than the other job.

He was lucky to find a true calling that paid! What makes you think you'll be as lucky? (Even then things can go badly - look at Van Gogh...)


Pursuit your dream now is better ... I have seen many old people cry because they regret not doing what they love. I really hope that situation will not happen to you.

I've seen old people cry because they pursued what they thought they loved and realised it was a mirage.


If you don’t get any thing, you can overcome yourself at least and find out how wonderful it is when you do what the heart said. Just try your best, and never give up!


Sounds like a lot of hard work. Anyway I've found a good novel, so I'm OK for now. (Steinbeck I love you!)

[mal4mac]

Some people never feel fulfilled but never give up hope and end up having 6 careers throughout their life. That to me, is a very unfortunate situation.

As you said, that's life. Still, you can keep on reading literature, whatever naff job you have to do for money.

[cacian]

How about do what you want then love it afterwards??
It is not what you do that really counts it is the fact that you did it that counts.