It's funny how you can sometimes read something that just rings so true that you wonder why you didn't realise it before. A eureka moment. In this case I'm talking about this blog post by Nancy, who I had the pleasure of meeting whilst staying with CompostWoman this last weekend.
The principle she talks about is that to be truly happy people should look to have a livelihood rather than a job. Putting it into simple term, what this means is finding your niche in life and finding a way to use your skills to provide something useful for those around you. A livelihood is making enough money to support yourself rather than making huge profits for your management or your employer's shareholders.
It made me realise that when I quit my job last year I did so because I wanted a livelihood rather than a job. I just didn't understand at the time that this was my driving reason. Little Miss C's arrival did put the brakes on my plans a bit, but now that she's here I know that I don't want to return to being tied to a job in the way that I was before. There are new priorities in my life and what I now need to do is find a livelihood instead. Something that can take me forwards and that I can combine with motherhood.
Understanding what I need to do is the first step. Actually doing it may take me a bit longer.
I read Nancy’s post with interest and recognition as well. I now have a livelihood, but it has taken a LONG time getting there. It is worth spending time thinking about what ou really want to do, do well and would be happy doing for a long time.
I wouldn’t go back to a high paid, high profile job again.
I like my life, it is slower and I have time to stop and appreciate the good things I have around me.
I gave up my graduate job to be a full time mother and have never regretted it. After going back to work I have ended up in the right niche almost by accident but I understand how fortunate I am to have a job that I love. I am not sure that I could have known what to look for but the important thing is recognising it when you get there.
Thank you so much for this post and the link to Nancy’s post too. It is what we have been discussing as a family with our grown-up “smalls” in the past few days. They need, at present, to get an “anything will do for the moment” type job to get them some money in and pay off bank loans etc from their recent student days. Our eldest daughter and her boyfriend have had some really good ideas though, and thinking outside of the box has allowed our son to aim himself a bit more at the sort of life he would ideally like. (Just needs to get the training!)
I gave up working when we had our first child and although it was an awful struggle, especially when I was trying to run a small sewing business when I had two under 3 yrs old, over the years we have been able to make ends meet (just) with various skills. We’ve never regretted it.
Thank you. It’s so good to hear it again from new friends.
In a sense I’ve been doing this all my life but contemplating these sort of big chan ges doesn’t get any easier (sorry about that downer!). However, I’ve found that my ability to jump off the cliff does get easier. I’ve done it before and it has worked out … that experience really helps. So does the joy the change brings. Joy is so important in life, much more than happiness. Joy en-spirits life, brings delight and meaning which are better than a good meal or a beer.
Moving out of “ordinary work” and onto the writer’s path happened for me in 1991/2 when I became so ill I was medically retired. I had to change, big-time. It precipitated all sorts of marvellous things, many of them very scary too but I am so glad it happened. I am joyful now to an extent I couldn’t be in ordinary work, am never bored though often terrified about how to live with the changes in our money-driven society.
I recommend it to everyone, get a livelihood … it will give you a Life 🙂