Job Jealousy

There are a lot of really cool things in this world, and there are a lot of really cool people who get to do really cool things.

There are professional athletes getting to play sports for a living, nature photographers traveling the world taking pictures of some of the most beautiful places on earth, and there are even people flying in rockets above earth, orbiting beyond us all. There's a lot of really cool jobs out there, and because there are so many 'really cool' jobs out there, it makes it hard to be satisfied with your own job sometimes. 

It's easy to look at someone who snowboards down mountains in Alaska for Red Bull promotions and be jealous of their job. It's harder to look at the person who just took my order at McDonald's and be jealous of their's. Some jobs are just sexier, and sadly, the jobs that seem sexiest, aren't always the most important.

Important jobs are unattractive to most people. Being a garbage man, a construction worker or a fast food employee aren't always the most glamorous to those on the outside, but they are certainly important and necessary. These aren't sexy jobs, but they are jobs that, without them, would prevent society from being as great as it is. These jobs don't always sound great, but they're jobs that I'm greatful exist. 

I've struggled with job jealousy. It's always easy to think someone has it better off than you do in some other position, in some other company, in some other place. I've learned though that job jealousy is often a lie. No matter what role you're in or where you're at, your job is important, and more so, you're important. Wherever you are and in whatever you're doing, be all there, and think of all the reasons why people are better off because of the job you're doing. Don't be jealous of another's job; be joyful in your own, and do it like a champion today.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Work with joy in whatever and wherever you work, and that joy will spread to those you work with. 

Why Your Dreams Are Worth 30 Minutes a Day

Has anyone ever told you that you can't do something? Not in a way that says, "Don't touch that," but in a way that says, "That's impossible." Maybe they said you weren't smart enough, weren't rich enough or weren't good enough. Maybe they said it's not logical, it's too big of a risk or the odds are too great. Whatever anyone has said, forget about it, at least for this instance. Forget what they said and remember what your heart said when you had the idea. Remember your dream.

Now that you've thought of that dream, ponder on it for a moment, and try to remember why you thought it was possible. Don't concentrate on the reasons why it might be impossible, but concentrate on the reasons why you believe it is possible.

You see, dreams don't just come out of nowhere. They form over time, and they form out of experience. Maybe it was a sport you grew up playing or a business idea you had that could change the world. A dream is founded in something, and that something is usually passion. We all have a passion for something, and it's because of that passion that we all have hopes, dreams and wishes.

As a recent college graduate, it seems like most of these dreams take shape around college-age individuals. It's a time people begin to be more exposed to the world and more aware of the opportunities out there to change it, so "dream jobs" develop. Many times, it's after college that those dream jobs seem to slowly turn into just dreams. Steady 8 - 5 jobs are found, and routines develop. Families are made and life goes on, but then what about that "dream job?" Does it just die and go away, or does it turn into a haunting nightmare because it was never pursued? I don't want to find out.

Dreams need to be pursued, and they need to be enjoyed. They need to be met with goals and practical ways of achieving them, and as difficult as that sounds, maybe it's not that difficult. If your dream is really your dream, it will be backed with passion, and that passion will be fueled by joy. If you have a dream and want to do it, there will be joy pursuing it.

Here's my challenge to you: Spend 15 - 30 minutes a day doing something in pursuit of your dreams. It doesn't have to be anything that costs money or radically alters your schedule; it just has to be something that puts you on track to see dreams come true. Maybe it's something as simple as sending emails to organizations or companies you want to work for, or maybe it's as tedious as learning an entirely new skill. Whatever it is, try it. Dreams don't have to stay dreams. They can come true, and that in itself is why pursing them is worth it.

After all, if you've spent your whole life dreaming something, isn't it worth 30 minutes pursuing?

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Don't let your dream become a nightmare because you never took the time to pursue it.