I do believe that we have the opportunity to continue – I repeat myself over and over again with this – to redefine and reinvent ourselves and as long as we do that, then I think we’ve got some pretty good odds in our favor, because we’re not always presenting the same thing.~ Patrick Warburton
Who am I, and why am I doing this?
We’re not the same people we were a year ago, let alone a decade or two ago. We often fall into a career and stay with it as long as possible. The person who accepted that position is not the you of today… Are you still content doing what you do, or are you doing it just for the paycheck?
It’s good practice to regularly evaluate yourself and your career path. The ultimate goal of life is contentment, not a career (for us monkeys, at least), but that’s often forgotten during the daily grind of existing.
Do you feel stressed out? Is an overall sense of dissatisfaction creeping into your thoughts and feelings? Do you feel like running away and starting over? Are you bored?
It may be time to change things up, and figure out what is meaningful to you now. Dissatisfaction with work can poison all aspects of your life.
Until six months ago, I was a small cog in a municipal government monstrosity. For six years, this job became more unbearable for me. Creativity was not allowed… Public servants are supposed to be automatons I guess…
My dissatisfaction with my work seeped into my real life. I dreaded week days… Friday night and Saturday were great, because work was forgotten and I could relax. Sundays were not so great. I fell into the same thought pattern that I had as a child who hated school… Sundays were for thinking about how Monday was coming, and the retch inducing drudgery would begin again…
Time for a change
Post operation- On the way home and still too high to reevaluate work, or anything else…
I stepped back and took an honest inventory of my work and life. I wasn’t creating anything except heartache for the citizens of the city in which I worked. I wasn’t expressing my thoughts and ideas at all… They were festering inside.
I was unhappy, and felt trapped. I was injured at work, which required a pretty involved shoulder surgery, and found myself sitting at home staring at the walls.
It took me a while to find my creative mojo again… This blog and other creative and spiritual pursuits are the result of my forced reevaluation of my life.
In retrospect, I’m glad I was forced to face my dissatisfaction, and pushed to find my creativity again… I’m not losing sight of it ever again…
So, what makes you say ahh!?
Before accepting a job with The City (All rights reserved. Trademark held by SATAN!), I was a creator. I built things, I altered things, I was doing what made me smile… Somehow, I lost focus, and started doing work that I hated. I guess I thought I was being a grown up.
I was forced to reevaluate my work, my career path and my life… And I wouldn’t change a thing. It shouldn’t take an injury to make you look at the arc your life is taking… Don’t be a thick headed, stubborn monkey like Doug and me. Take an honest look at your life and your work. Are they in sync? Is your life “you”? If not why not?
Fear keeps use in line, doing things we hate doing. It took an injury to wake me up and get me off the path to discontentment. Don’t wait for something so drastic to make you reevaluate…Today, firings and layoffs are handed out like candy… This is why Doug and I write this blog. We feel everyone should wake up and do what they love, before it’s too late. Stop being frightened and be you!
Make your wishes and make it happen!
Related articles
- Redefining “Work” (lanehoffbeck.com)
- Redefine the successful life. (The New York Times)
Doug Does Life 
I so agree with you. I actually gave a talk last night ‘Living Your Passions Every Day’ which included just what you are talking about here. Why wait to reevaluate your life? We need to align with our passions now.
Hi Penny. I guess it comes down to fear. I was forced to reevaluate my life. I wonder what I would be doing right now if I wasn’t injured… Would I even have a blog? Probably not. This is one of the reasons I chose to try and help others gather courage to live the life they dream of… I know what drudgery is, and don’t wish it on anyone.
Keep up the good work! Just thought I’d mention too, that I love seeing your diagrams of Doug every day. They are fabulous!
Thank you!
Reblogged this on .
You are so so right and spot on every single word…, Ohh!! Your posts are all full of substance, pure knowledge and Truth, my soul feels each and every one of your words, and believe me, I know the theory too and try to put in practise everyday, but is just very difficult to get rid off the fear, which is the principle cause of most of the things we don’t adventure/dare to do… Thank you monkeys for reminding and encouraging the rest of the monkeys in the universe that YES, it can be done, yes we can reinvent ourselves… Thank you… Love and Light always. Glo.x
Hi Glo- Thank you for the great feedback! Doug and I don’t know everything (well, Doug thinks he does)… We’re just trying to figure out how to make it to monkey contentment.I’m happy that sharing our thoughts has been helpful to you on your own journey…
This is right on time for me. I’ve worked for the same entity for 25 years in a business with a mission to help people be healthy. IT has not always been healthy for me. I work to make it creative, but the steadily growing bureaucracy limits creativity more and more every year. I’m finally taking steps to return to my true creative nature. In the days ahead, (I was going to say years) I will be moving more and more into creative realms. The ropes of fear that tether me to the old job are becoming frayed and thin. I stride with determination and confidence toward financial independence and freedom! (I’m working to believe this, working to quiet the anxious buts….I do believe in freedom. I do believe in freedom! I do believe in freedom! 🙂
Hi Joanna- Thanks for stopping by. I’m happy that this post spoke to you. It’s difficult being a creative person stuck in a mundane career… I’m glad you’re taking steps to live a more creative life. This benefits us all. You being happy will infect others, in a good way! Keep me posted on your progress…