Perfect intersections and finding the work your were born to do

Perfect intersections can find you at just that right time. And luckily in this instance I recognized it.

For months, I've been struggling, struggling with a job I disliked. The position not physically demanding but soul sucking. At this moment in my working life, I'm quite aware of what I want. This job fell into the category of what I did not want, so why keep doing it?

Thinking about it, the only answer I could find was one of the financial ability it provided for my partner and daughter. I know, I know, not a good place to be operating in.


Getting to the soul suck

My first dabble in the working world post-University  found me in a rewarding role, great co-workers, and organization that valued its workers and the work we were doing. It was taxing and slowly I grew bored.

I needed a change.

It was time to take a step back and move into a direction that I had intended. My new focus would use my communication background and I began the job search. For nineteen months I looked for different opportunities. Writing resumes, looking at job boards, applying to job after job.

I persevered eventually finding a new role. This opportunity would allow me to be out in the community, the catch - it also included a piece I wasn't so excited about, database management.

A few weeks after landing the new job I found another one with a better organization, both part time.  This new role would direct my path to where I was trying to get to, even more so than the job I had accepted. I moved from a pretty stable work schedule to something that was anything but.

I told my partner that I would give it a try for a year. Days migrated to waking up at six in the morning and getting back home at seven in the evening, nearly my whole day spent away.

After the initial rush the excitement wore off and I realized job #2 wasn't what I had hoped. Months passed and things weren't getting better. My frustration in job #2 brought down all the fun I was having in job #1. I tried to reason it, I don't give up easy and will literally inconvenience my happiness to prove that I'm capable. This approach would not serve me well.

My unhappiness began to spill over at home. I would come home and complain to my partner. I had already started looking for other work and continued denials just added insult to the unhappiness.

A few months passed and I reached a boiling point. How could I find a balance to this unhappiness? It got the point where I contemplated  letting go of job#2 and jeopardizing my ability to sustain myself, my partner, and daughter. Desperation was setting in.

This is where the intersection appeared.  One morning as I was getting ready for another day I received an email. It was an announcement from Chris Guillebeau, one of my inspirations, he was putting out a new book.

The synopsis read :

"Finding the work you were “born to do” isn’t just about discovering your passion. Those who jump out of bed excited to go to work every morning don’t just have jobs that turn their passions into paychecks. They have jobs where they also can lose themselves for hours in the flow of meaningful work."

This passage hit me like a ton of bricks! The email continued on to describe the formation  of a street team to help get the word out.  People who were selected would get an early copy.

I sat down and applied for an opportunity to join the team. I shared  my frustrations, my desire to find meaningful work and align myself with the work I was put on this world to do. I was accepted.

I'm not the biggest reader, but when I find an interesting book, it's with me like a baby on a bottle. The wisdom I received from this book ignited a passion that lay dormant.

Years before the routine schedule I found myself in a creative state. I designed stuff for the hell of it, started a t-shirt line, freelanced. Now all the skills were on the back burner as work consumed my time and life.


Putting the lessons to use

A slice of this book is focused on making your current work more conducive to your needs (i.e hacking your job). Inspired by tools from the book I mustered up the courage to walk into job#1 and inform them I needed a change. I wanted to keep one aspect of my job, the one I liked.

For months, I wondered what would happen if I vented my frustration:

Would I be fired?

Would they deny my request?

I wouldn't know unless I tried and guess what, they accepted everything! I successfully hacked my job.

From that point I've been consuming content that nourishes the creative spirit. I'm seeking out courses for self-development and masterminding side hustles that will allow me to keep my creativity alive and thriving.

I've realigned my vision. I've received some insights into finding the work I was born to do, while also taking actionable steps to get to it. The future holds endless possibilities again and there's much work to do, and that's a great thing!


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