We all make choices in this world; from the most trivial of matters to the most significant. However, when it comes to the most decisive of all, it seems as if we are not given the privilege to pave our own path; we are not given the freedom to choose our careers.
We are constantly pressured by either the fear of failure, or the family or society’s perception of an appropriate career. In the past couple of years, I came to realizethe abundance of individuals who wereunhappy with their field of study as well as what will follow as a career.
“Love what you do until you do what you love.”
I believe this is one of the most misleading quotes ever said. Each one of us is born with a fiery passion towards something, and it is our responsibility towards ourselves and towards our children to further ignite that fire whether it is towardsan academic, athletic or artistic field. If you choose to settle for something else, the fire will slowly diminish until this passion simmers down to nothing. After that, you get rushed off your feet by life’s hectic routine, so that forty or fifty years from now, you’ll look back on your life and regret not having the courage to pursueyour initial dreams. There is no greater tragedy than losing track of time.
We live in a vast diverse world, filled with uniqueness and beauty.There is something exceptional about each and every one of us, something that makes us who we are.
Seeking what you truly love and making a career out of it is the key to a howling success in life, because being passionate about what you do is the principal incentive to distinguished achievement.
Each one of us should live on earth for a purpose. That is the reason why we are born: to make a difference, even if it is the smallest difference in the lives of those around us. Money is important (who are we kidding?), but it’s not everything in the world. So if you were ever to make a choice of whether to pursue your dream career or to settle for a steady income and a reassuring job, choose what you love.
Life isn’t just about getting paid and paying your bills and dying out slowly with time. I remember a scene from the movie Up In The Airwhere George Clooney (aka Ryan Bingham) had a bizarre job where he traveled all over the world to fire people on behalf of their companies. When a terminated employee was angry and kept cursing about the fact that he was being let go, Clooney told him that he had minored in French culinary arts at college and that he served tables at famous restaurants to support himself, but after graduation he gave up on what he loved and started working for this company. Clooneythen askedhim a question that has stuck with me as profoundas ever since; “Tell me how much did they pay you to give up on your dreams?”
It’s never too late to start. If you are unhappy with your current job or career in general, quit it. Start pursuing what makes you happy in life. There are plenty of successful career-shift stories to support this claim, tell me, what makes them any better than you?
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”- Henry Ford.
Don’t worry about failing and don’t you listen to discouraging people. No man has ever achieved anything great by playing it safe, or by listening to advice that contradicted what his heart was telling him. And if you hit a bump in the road, remember that this is not failure; it’s just a chance to try and work things out with a different approach.
There is a story that I have always loved (regardless of whether it’s true or not) about how it took Thomas Edison 1,000 attempts to invent the light bulb. He failed a staggering 999 times before he reached success. After Edison revealed his invention, a reporter asked, “Mr. Edison, how did it feel to fail 999 times?” as the story goes, Thomas Edison just smiled and replied, “Young man, I have not failed 999 times. I have simply found 999 ways how not to create a light bulb.”
We should all change our perspective of what an acceptable career is. People are born in all shapes and sizes and with different preferences and thoughts. So why should their choice of career be any different? There is no “right” mould where some jobs fit better than others. There are no great careers and mediocre ones. Pursue what you’re passionate about, what gives you purpose in life and what makes you happy.
You are the master of your own destiny and you are the one who should be in control of it. It IS your choice. Yours, and yours alone!
BY: BASSEM EL-NOUR
EDITED BY: HADEEL GAMAL
Photo Designed by: Mahmoud Mansi