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How important is it to you to be in/strive towards a career that you actually love?

Have any of the achieved that? Or do most of you just do what pays the bills? If the latter, do you regret not going for something you actually love?

Motivation comes and goes. No. Pretty much. Sometimes.

I'm a simple man. I enjoy the little things and my ultimate goal is to be able to not have to do anything.

Whatever job or whichever way that happens is to be determined.

Actually I like .curve's answer better.

Do something you can be competent at, follow your dreams is a line stupid people go with.

You seem like a really positive person.

Ask me in 1 to 3 years.

Finishing high school soon. No idea what I should study in uni. I can't really make a carreer of the things I love...

I know what Career... I don't want. xD

I will have achieved what I want to do for the rest of my life in one more year of schooling then another like 3000 hours of doing what I love to become a certified automotive technician.

Doing the same thing over and over 5 times a week isn't fun for anyone even if it's something you like. So imo get something that gets the bills paid instead of a bullshit degree in Tourism & Ecology.

Then the key is to get a job where you don't do the same things over and over.

I've been reading up on Buddhism a lot recently(mostly because it's the only "ism" that makes any sort of sense) and one of the key principles is that wanting something and achieving that something doesn't always guarantee happiness, and the act of wanting in and of itself only deprives us of happiness and contentment.

Another of the principles is that instead of holding on to a lifetime of wanting, live each day at a time not worried about the past or the imagined future and you'll be happier and more content thus allowing yourself more time to help others achieve their happiness.

That's the philosophy I look at when it comes to this question.

Would this be similar to saying "The beauty of a dream is that it's a fantasy, if it happens it was never a dream."? Well not similar but sorta in the same category/apply/aspect?

I can see the correlation between the two. It would sort of depend on what your dream is. If it's something obtainable then it's not a grandiose enough dream to make it a dream. If it's something that you know you can't obtain, then it's a fantasy and can be seen as a positive thing to hold on to. It's all about making you happy

I think buddhism tries to take the dream aspect out of it altogether and instead focus on the reality of day to day life and finding happiness day to day.

Tasdik was asking about a career in particular. I find it hard to have a "dream job" when a job is nothing more than a means to an end. It's the way to earn the money to do what you want. Sure you can find a job that you completely love, but you're still confined to the parameters of that job and chasing the dream of doing what you want. If you eliminate that want, or simplify it, you'll find you're much happier

Hmmmm. Buddhism sounds alot better then my hopeless atheist mindset. Maybe I should get to readin'.

See I considered myself agnostic for the longest time simply because there was no belief system that satisfied me.

Buddhism isn't really a religion though. There's no deity you worship. It's more of a moral code for life and achieving happiness. It's a belief system that if you are a good person and live a good life, you will be happy. Buddhism also teaches you to be tolerant of other religions. It's their means to live a happy life, who are we as individuals to judge that? Not counting the radical zealots of any religion or belief or lifestyle.

This sums up my feeling about what I'm doing.
"I liked it, I was good at it, and.. I was really.. I was alive!"


on a side note: I think I'm about to become a buddhist *watches a dozen of videos about buddhism*

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm

Quick intro to buddhism. Covers the main aspects and ideals of it. It's really simple, just takes some discipline.

the best thing about buddism is its self sufficiency. it doesnt rely on any one, any god or anything. it is more of a concept and ideology than a religion and the messages arent that of "great gods who came to earth to deliver important messages" but instead great theologians questioning others mindset.

a good technique buddists have a grasp of is something called "mindfulness" or "mindful thinking" which for someone with anxiety depression or severe OCD i recommend looking into.
the idea is so simple using the idea of things like hourly chimes of a clock, cracks on the pavement and crossing a threshold of a door and even just breathing 5 times to create an awareness of just existing and "being" yet its VERY hard to master and utilize (as someone with anxiety, the idea of being aware of your breathing and that whole "manual breathing" idea is actually stress provoking, using it as a method of awareness is potentially risky but hugely rewarding).

I went to counselling for about 3 years mostly studying the aspect of these "strange buddhist" techniques which, as an agnostic atheist, is hard to come to turns with.

Interesting as I felt that very same way growing up, even while going to a catholic grade school and high school. Then after that I felt that it was important for a person to believe in something even if I didn't (As in a god). Otherwise you would seem to be in a state of despair. The only thing that bugs me in this day and age is that when I say I don't believe in god, people tell me I'm going to hell because of it.

"Radical zealots" being the Westboro Church for example? They're like a horrible hate "cult" rather then some "religion". Then we have our...unusual Scientologists but I see them as money mongers.


Well that's pretty cool actually. I have a bit of OCD issues myself as well as anxiety that triggers physical pain, so I'll definitely look into this, thanks penfold!

At least Fred Phelps is now dead.

First of all, yes it is somewhat important for me to do something that I find interesting. The thing is, if I get to do a boring job where I in no way can be a bit creative in some sort of way, I tend to get very bored and slowly drift away.
The dream of running my own successful company is still and will probably always be my dream work-wize. The feeling of being able to make customers happy by delivering a kick-ass product really intrigues me!

And as it just happens to be, things actually start to look quite bright for me. I've got a quite interesting meeting next Tuesday, and if everything goes well, I might very soon be starting a company. We'll see how it goes - the point is that it is important for me to do something I love to do.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it should be an easy job. Frankly, I would rather have a job where I'm challenged every day - as long as I love what I am doing

Oh yeah. I went through Communion and Confirmation in the Catholic Church(that's what happens when you grow up with the Mexican side of your family). Yeah I always joke about going to hell so it sort of takes the meaning out of it when someone says I'm actually going to hell.

Westboro Baptist Church, radical muslims, etc.

I'm lucky that the job I'd love to do when I finish college is paid a lot and there is never enough people for it.

Good Luck!

Well, "Every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

never gonna work to pay bills

rather do something that i enjoy and im good at wich will bring more success enventualy than doing a shitty job i hate but seems to be paying good.

Figured, just clarifying because I was gonna say something really inappropriate heh.