Doing what you love or loving what you do

We’ve all heard it said that if you do what you love, it won’t seem like work.

You know what’s funny, I’ve had a couple of experiences and found out that with me, when I do what I love for work, it just makes what I love seem like work, and ruins both the thing I love and my work. So that stinks.

I guess that means that I didn’t love writing or photography enough. But if that’s the case, then I don’t love anything enough to want to make a career of it.

So what is one to do?

What if there is nothing that you see yourself dedicating everything to, besides your spouse and family? What if there is nothing you’re willing to make such sacrifices of time (and money) for. What if you love something so much, but the talent just isn’t there to make a living at it? Or you aren’t smart enough to think of a way to turn whatever it is into a career?

So I guess the key is to find something you love that you do well (two steps, not just one). But what if you don’t even know what you love enough to do all day every day? I do envy those people, like my friend Jenni who’s known since she was 12 what she wanted to do, and she’s doing it. And this guy.

Of course, knowing what you love and going for it all can be a huge risk. But if you love it so much that you’re willing to take that risk, then you’re half-way there.

So that leaves me, at this stage, with loving what I do. Well, I don’t love it in the sense of that described above. But I do like it enough to enjoy myself at work and enjoy the people I work with every day, and yeah, I’m pretty good at it (even though I think I just fake it really well). This is a huge blessing that many people don’t have in their lives. I recognize that, and I’m thankful for it every day. So maybe I’m one-third of the way there.