Loving What You Do

Man is a social animal and survival is his major need. There are needs that he needs be fulfill. The needs can be physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. A common thread that connects all the above need is a means to sustain physically. He can barter his skills to sustain himself.

If the urge to contribute physically arises then he can do physical labor, like bringing about movement on the physical level. If there is an urge to contribute mentally, he can choose to be an organizer, one who can overlap events and schedule activities. An emotional urge will be satisfied if he chooses to be a mentor. Spiritual urge can be addressed by spreading the word of the infinite.

The choice of his work mainly depends on his current frame of mind. Normally, a person chooses his profession depending on the market feasibility and the highest financial benefits. Though this seems to be the most obvious choice of choosing a profession but surely will lead him to be utterly frustrated and mentally unstable as time passes by if this is not in alignment with his life's purpose.

Time waits for nobody and later on in life there is the time for retrospection the most obvious question that would come up are: "How did I spend my time? Was I of any help to anybody? Will I every be remembered when I'm bygone?" These are very common questions anybody would have encountered. These questions arise at different phases in our life. A student towards the end of his vocation will be encountered with these questions. A lawyer at the conclusion of a case would be questioned by his conscience. And almost all of us on the last day of our professional life.

The question now one would ask is, "I have now realized that this is not a profession of my choice and I have taken it up just to sustain my physical and social needs, but this is not the profession that I would give my life for. What do I do now? I possibly can't abandon my present commitments? The only alternative I see now is abandon the profession of my life and make my self believe that there is more to life than your job." Its very comfortable to be part of the rut and postpone the most dreaded questions till you retires.

One can't afford to abandon one's current profession and create an internal civil war. One would prefer to look at his job differently. Suppose you realize there is an inert pull towards writing. You would want to hang around with people who have a similar bend. If there is an urge to teach then you would want to volunteer your time at a night school. One common thing that would stand out is your commitment to have a fulfilling life. The initial infatuation will always wither out and you would yet again be stranded with the same dreadful questions. But one's commitment towards finding a job one loves will help one see through this turbulence.

One can look at an alternative approach to discover the job of his life. Start with the end result in mind. For example you would want to be of some help to the people around you. How would you possibly contribute? You would have a wealth of experience that you would have accumulated in your professional life. You would want to mentor the new comers with your experience. You would never have someone come to you and say "Hey I want you to mentor so many people" Though not impossible this may seem a remote possibility. You need to reach out and let people know that you are willing to contribute. You need to take the first step. This is what most people fret. They fret to ask. First and foremost one needs to be more social and approachable. Secondly, one needs to be focussed on the reality that this is an opportunity that one is working towards.

It is very important that one reads and listens a lot during this phase. You would have accumulated a wealth of experience during your career but there is a difference between knowing and the ability to articulate one's thoughts. Reading and listening helps one to have a uniform stream of thoughts.

Let then the knowledge flow through you. An element of doership normally creeps in when one thinks that one is doing something noble. Your experience is a gift of nature. It was an opportunity that was given to you at that point in time. This knowledge will just flow through you where it is needed the most. In most instances you would be surprised by yourself at the impact that your experience has created on people around you.

Altaf Merchant is a software engineer by profession. He lives in Bangalore, India. You can get in touch with him on merchant_altaf@yahoo.com.

---

Risk-taking - Get Your Feet Wet!

We often use the phrase, "Get Your Feet Wet" when... Read More

Focus On White-Collar Crime: Accounting Fraud and Computer Crimes Creates Need; Qualified Investing

An epidemic of white-collar financial crime has resulted in the... Read More

How To Win the Job-Hunting Game

When I got over the initial shock of being urged... Read More

Does Retirement Fit Into Your Busy Schedule?

Why do you work?Stop and think about it. Other than... Read More

Dont Forget to Say, Thank You

One of the biggest mistake for job seeks is to... Read More

Losing A Career Can Feel Like Getting A Divorce

Most of us are aware that we need to grieve... Read More

The #1 Job Search Mistake To Avoid: Not Preparing Your Mind!

Mental preparation is probably your most important task as you... Read More

Self-Knowledge: The Key To Finding The Right Career Direction

Your career, like any journey, has a beginning, an end... Read More

Book Summary: How to Work with Just About Anyone

This article is based on the following book:How... Read More

Common Résumé Mistakes

Using a general résumé.DON'T DO IT! You cannot successfully use... Read More

Youre Fired!

One-day you're minding your own business and your boss comes... Read More

8 ?Thurvival Skills? for 05

Just what is a "thurvival skill?" It's a skill that... Read More

Successful Job Search: 10 Steps To Quickly Acquire Your Dream Job And Put More Money In Your Pocket

Do you want to continue your costly, time-consuming and exhausting... Read More

Strange Jobs Still Pay The Bills

Strange jobs? How do we define that? Years ago I... Read More

Learn How To Network for HIDDEN Jobs

I'll quickly cover the following:A) Why Network With People? B)... Read More

Can You Actually Fail A Personality Quiz?

Q. I didn't get a job that I interviewed for.... Read More

Turning the Table: Questions for Your Interviewer

(DES MOINES, Iowa ? January 26, 2005) The fateful final... Read More

Change Your Career, Change Your Life!

Lots of times I see and talk to people who... Read More

You Are Not Entitled to a Job!

Résumé TipsSome basics about job hunting...First of all, nobody owes... Read More

Always Have a Current Resume

What is the biggest mistake people make with resumes?People write... Read More

Building Your Army of Supporters: How to Build Strategic Relationships in the Work Place!

Once you have accomplished your task of getting in the... Read More

Interview Tips - Ten Top Dos & Donts for Winning Interviews

In this day and age it can become increasingly difficult... Read More

What Can I Do To Improve My Job-Interviewing Skills?

Whether you're a student job seeker or a polished and... Read More

Any Job is an Honorable Job

Seeing your job as an honorable job, adds more meaning... Read More

Surviving The Technical Interview

Ah, the technical interview. Nothing like it. Not only does... Read More

Making Yourself More Relevant To The New Workplace

Being a current job seeker can be quite a challenging... Read More

The Case For Internships

America may be the Land of Opportunity, but this is... Read More

Get Inspired About Your Career

Get Inspired about Your CareerDo you linger in bed long... Read More

Handing in Your Resignation and Serving Notice

Have you made the right choice? Before deciding to resign... Read More

Job Search -- One of the Secrets of a Trade Show

A trade show is a great place to network, look... Read More

Success at Work : People Skills : Networking

Getting along with your co-workers is critical to yourhappiness and... Read More

Writing Great Cover Letters

Cover letters are an essential ingredient to your complete résumé... Read More

Do I Have to Provide a Salary History?

Often you see job postings with a request such as... Read More