Tuesday Truth: Doing What You Love & Loving What You Do

As I watched Ben leave for work again this morning--so happy that he was practically skipping--I realized that I've never told the full story of what he actually did to make this new job/his professional dream a reality.

Although normally I don't think that writing about the process of applying for a new job makes for very scintillating reading, I think it's important to discuss this subject today, because it goes hand-in-hand with a theme that I often talk about here on the blog: doing what you love and loving what you do. 

Hopefully, you all know my life & job transition story by now, and hopefully you've also read some of the inspiring stories from my Q&A series--where many of the individuals that I have interviewed have shared the way in which they followed their professional dreams and took things into their own hands in order to do what they love--so you know that it is possible to create your dream job through courage and hard work.

But, one of the things that I realized that I haven't talked about much is how to make a big change. You can't just sit back and wait for life to hand you your ideal job/life situation, you literally have to do it yourself.

As an example, let me share a bit of Ben's recent career makeover story:

For the past few years, Ben hadn't been happy in his job. It was a good job--great salary, prestigious position, flex schedule, all of the government benefits that everyone raves about (aka "Golden Handcuffs")--but he knew that it wasn't what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He knew that this job wasn't allowing him to use his skills to add to the world, and that it wasn't challenging him in the way that he wanted to be challenged. 

When we would talk about it over dinner each night, I would always encourage him to do something else. Look for a new job! Apply for that interesting opening in another office! Quit and open a CrossFit gym (not the best advice for our financial health, but you know...)! 

However, when it came down to it, he would always just stick with what he knew, what was easiest, what felt like the most "responsible" decision. 

Our long-term plan had always been to move to Cape Cod, where he would work for the DA's office and maybe, eventually, open his own firm in his hometown--but that was our long-term plan, and he wasn't admitted to the Massachusetts State Bar yet (he could waive in after a certain number of years), so it didn't feel like it was an option anytime soon. 

But then, in January or February of this year, when he was feeling particularly unfulfilled at work, he decided he wanted to just do it (Nike-style). He signed up for the Massachusetts State Bar Exam. He ordered his study materials. He rejiggered his work and workout schedule in order to make studying 20 hours per week possible. He was in! 

Once spring rolled around, my dear husband turned into a machine. He was either studying, working, or working out every waking minute, and although I kinda missed him, he wasn't miserable at all--he was actually pretty happy, because he was taking steps towards a real goal, a goal that eventually, hopefully, would allow him to be much more excited about waking up every morning. 

He took the Bar Exam in July, and around that same time, sent a letter of interest to the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office. They didn't have any openings, but invited him up for an Informational Interview. He dropped everything and went--seizing the opportunity to learn more about the job he ultimately wanted. 

Shortly after his informational interview, someone in the DA's office gave their notice, and they had an opening. Ben was called, along with many other applicants, and the long, drawn out hiring process began. I won't go into all of the nitty gritty details here, but suffice it to say that Ben flew up to the Cape quite a few times, and things got very obsessive and stressful around our house (as expected). 

Obviously, he was eventually offered the job, took it, and thus, we come full circle, back to this morning, where he left the house singing aloud, dancing, with little birds flocking around him to place his coat on his shoulders and open the car doors for him.

To top it all off, two weeks ago we found out that he passed the Massachusetts Bar Exam, so he's golden. Everything has fallen into place. 

You know how I often say that if you just decide to make it happen--to take the proverbial leap, or to make a big change in the direction of your dreams, the world will just open up and help you out? I think this story is a perfect example of yet another instance in which this has happened. 

But also, I think it's important to note that in order for anything to change, Ben had to take things into his own hands. He made it happen through courage, a big decision, and hard work, and then the world stepped in to nudge everything along in the right direction ;)

So, moral of the story: you can do what you love and love what you do. You can! It may be take some big decisions, some sweat, some  faith, some early mornings/late nights/last-minute flights, but it is very possible. 

If you're not already in a situation where you love what you do, how can you take some steps towards making a life change that will leave you more fulfilled, or lead to your leaving the house with a little skip in your step every morning? 

I encourage you to think about this today...