In my life it has worked out. Growing up I was a science and electronics geek but I excelled at high school band and jazz ensemble and my director thought I could be a successful musician. As soon as I thought it a possibility my dream was to be a jazz trombonist and I busted my tail for years toward that dream. When this wasn't happening (even with all my hard work I just wasn't good enough) I found myself working my way through college in unskilled jobs. I didn't have a car so I bought a bicycle for transportation but learning more about bikes I got bit by that bug and started to hang out a lot at my bike shop. Eventually I was spending so much time there that the owner just hired me. I did that for years as well as riding every free moment and racing as often as my finances allowed. Then one of my customers sold me his Atari 800 computer when he got an Apple ][. I was figuring out BASIC and took a computer science class just for fun and did so well there that my professor recommended I take some more classes. After a few classes I found myself being recommended for a research assistant position and from there became a systems administrator. While doing all of this I discovered this thing called the Internet. This was years before the World Wide Web took off but Usenet News, anonymous ftp, gopher, archie, veronica, WAIS, and Internet BBS's started taking up way too much of my time. I was attracted to UNIX and C when the smart students were learning MVS, Cobol, Ada, RPG, etc. When the Web took off I was well positioned.

I consider myself to be a living example of being able to follow your bliss and do well. I have to admit that computers and networks are getting stale. I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

OK, I subscribed to that bit of "practical" advice and left a great opportunity in a fully-funded PhD program to do something that would "make me some money." Well, just five years into it I realize that the people who control what I do and how I spend most of my time (and how much money I make) went ahead and got that PhD. Now I am left wondering 'what if?' because I know that my current path will not allow me to leap-frog these individuals and hence I will ALWAYS play second-fiddle to someone with more credentials. I didn't know this when I threw away my opportunity. You learn as you go – and things change as you see what's really out there. I do believe that if you have the opportunity to REALLY do something that most people can't – give it a fair shot and don't worry about the critics: they don't believe in you and never will. Believe in yourself. You can always work a second job (e.g., deliver pizzas, work a night job, etc.) which can pay the bills while you hone the skills for greatness. At least if you fail you can say "I tried" and put aside the demons of regret which appear as a result of planned mediocrity.

In many ways, I believe that the primary cause of people "getting stuck" is the result of an excessive reliance on "either/or" thinking… when actually tends to be MUCH more than two answers (yes/no, dark/light) to any situation.

Using myself as an example, I have always been "a writer," and I knew I wanted "to write" from age six on. And what I have done "for money" has always had a heavy writing component, even if I never made a living "writing stories." I've been a technical writer, a grant writer, editor, newsletter creator, copy writer and much more. And yes, I've sold an article and story or two, along the way.

The buzzwords-du-jour tell us to "think outside the box." Again, the implication is that we must be IN the box, or OUTSIDE the box. I say, "throw the stupid box AWAY, and invent yourself from the ground up!"

I can appreciate that may be a daunting approach for some, requiring leaps of faith not everyone is willing to face.

If you love who you are and love your strengths, then doing what you ARE is the same as doing what you LOVE.

I find that when I take something I love and attach "job" or "work" to it, it becomes something else completely different. Work is work, and people forget that. I think people's understanding of – do what you love – is skewed and taken to literally.

Do something that makes you feel valued. Finding achievement in work, for me and I think most people, is what makes a job appealing.

MissMentor