Image courtesy of lovewell-livewell.com
Confucius said ‘choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life’.
It might sound cliché, but does this famous saying relate to you and how you spend your time, most days of your working week, month after month, year after year?
Do you get up each and every morning and generally feel pleased about how you will spend your day – do you love your job?
Just this week, I was head-down and bum-up, neck-deep in deadline and only moved from my computer to get the kids to school, eat meals and pinch enough sleep to get by – but I absolutely loved every minute of the work I was doing.
And I used to think that sitting at my computer all day long (usually in my slippers) writing words for people and getting paid for it was actually only a figment of my imagination – just a dream.
But sometimes dreams do come true and this week I’ve been writing award submissions for inspiring graduate students from the Goulburn Ovens Institute of Tafe (GOTAFE).
Each and every student I interviewed has achieved enormous success through their studies despite coming from extremely different backgrounds, coping with varied personal circumstances and facing numerous challenges, including juggling work, study and family life.
However, they all shared a common goal to follow their passion and work towards a dream career.
Every student, regardless of age or background, had a passion to make the effort, put in the time and make sacrifices to achieve their study and career aspirations.
I was particularly inspired by the GOTAFE Student of the Year and a mother of two young children who worked four part-time jobs while studying full-time to graduate with a Diploma of Nursing. This amazing woman and active community member told me she loved learning and despite juggling so many other aspects in her life said ‘it never seemed like hard work’.
Another student gave up a successful Melbourne-based career for a ‘tree change’ where he began a full-time apprenticeship as a chef. He would often get up at 4am in the morning to squeeze in study, family life and work in the hospitality industry and again, said he loved every minute. He told me that ‘his life was a holiday’ – what a great outlook from a man who clearly loves what he does.
And it’s always about passion. If you are passionate about your work you’ll cop any criticism that comes your way, work 20 hours a day if you need (not all the time though) and make sacrifices to achieve your hopes, dreams and aspirations.
Having a clear passion and drive for success also makes us prioritise what’s important in our lives and when supported by those around us the ‘sky’s the limit’!
So, take the advice of our above mentioned students and take the next step to follow your dreams, enrol in that course, attend that information session and take the plunge!
Good luck following your dreams!
Christy for TSW xo
