Good morning!
Last night Eric and I went out for Mexican food, stuffed ourselves silly on fajitas, and then headed to Chapters book store. Pretty much my dream night. I had gift cards to use and I bought Eat Pray Love and didn’t have to pay a dime.
My story with Eat Pray Love goes back a couple years. In 2008, I purchased the EPL audio book shortly after seeing Elizabeth Gilbert’s interview with Oprah.
I was going through a rough time in my life and this book really spoke to me. I felt like I knew Elizabeth and that I connected with her desire for self-discovery in some way. I thought having her voice in an audio book would comfort me during this tough time in my life and I planned on listening to the book during my commutes to and from work and school.
Ironically, not long after I downloaded the audio book onto my computer, my computer crashed and I lost everything, including the audio book. Life was busy and I just forgot about it assuming one day I would buy the book.
That day was yesterday!
I could not put this book down last night. Around midnight my eyes were drooping and I was literally falling asleep reading. I woke up with my head on Eric’s shoulder around 12:30am and I stumbled up to bed.
Sketchie also loves when I read because it means that I am actually in one spot more than 5 minutes at a time…
I love when he sleeps on me. :biggrin:
I also love how Elizabeth organized the book in terms of a short story representing each japa mala. I love how the book is divided up by the three countries that she visited, each for a different purpose along her journey. It is quite brilliant actually. The book just exudes symmetry.
I was excited when I woke up this morning for a few reasons:
1) I had a solid 8 hours of sleep
2) Today is my day off
3) I have a book to read
4) The weather is gorgeous and sunny
5) I have new music for my run today (‘Over’ by Drake is a new fav)
I used up the rest of my beet greens and some new spinach for Green Monster energy!
I also threw in some raspberries, Almond Milk, raw maca powder, 1 tbsp homemade almond butter, and 1 frozen banana.
I had another situation on my hands…
I had some Green Monster spillage as I juggled my GM and SLR camera while freaking out about walking through a HUGE cobweb. Story of my life.
It was good though.
I wanted to share with you a quote from Eat Pray Love that I think is really powerful:
“For years, I’d wished I could speak Italian- a language I find more beautiful than roses- but I could never make the practical justification for studying it…What was I going to do with Italian? It’s not like I was going to move there. It would be more practical to learn how to play the accordion.
But why must everything have a practical application? I’d been such a diligent soldier for years- working, producing, never missing a deadline, etc. Is this lifetime supposed to be only about duty?…It’s not like I was saying at age 32, ‘I want to become the principal ballerina for the NYC ballet.” Studying a language is something you can actually do. So I signed up for classes at one of those continuing education places. My friends thought this was hilarious…But I loved it.”
This got me thinking a lot about my life, Eric’s, and whether there were things that we wanted to do, but didn’t think there was a practical application for. Eric is currently struggling with some decisions in his own life (that I can’t get into, but probably will some day in the future) and I know there are many things that he wants right now, but he doesn’t think they are practical to actually do. This makes me very sad to think about. Why must we live our lives ‘by the book’ or doing what others expect of us? As Elizabeth mentioned in the quote above, why must everything have a practical purpose? Can’t we just listen to our hearts sometimes?
So I ask you today…What are the things you want to do but you aren’t sure they have a practical purpose?
One of the things that we desperately want to do at this stage in our lives is travel. We always said that our free time in our late twenties would be spent traveling together, but so far we have not found a practical purpose (or free time) to try to put this goal into action.
I loved the book too! It was so inspiring! I am 31 and single and not nearly as fulfilled by my job as I dreamed I would be (not a vet or married to a vet–which were my biggest dreams). I have always wanted to go to Australia and volunteer in some sort of wildlife capacity. After reading the book, I suddenly realized that I can! No, it might not be practical for me drop everything and go here to volunteer: http://www.koalahospital.org.au/ , but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it. It would be such an amazing adventure and the memories would be priceless. I’m in the research phases now. Even if I have to quit my job to do it, is that such a tragedy? My job is in demand all over the country! I can get a new one when I get back…
I’m Australian and you say what every American I meet says – “I have always wanted to go to Australia”. DO IT!!!!! Contrary to what everyone assumes, it ISN’T that expensive (last year they put up flights from LAX and SFO $300 one-way), yes the flight is long, but you leave at night, eat dinner, watch some tv, sleep, wake up, eat breakfast, and you’re there, and the odds of you getting attacked or bitten by something are not as high as you would think. If you’re jopb is in demand then you’re already at an advantage to most people. Who knows? I met my husband when he came to Australia for 6 months . .. you never know :)
Thanks for the tips! I’m trying to get my ducks in a row so I can, really I am. I can’t decide if it’d be best to move there for a year (I should qualify for a skilled work visa) or go volunteer for a month and then travel on some sort of tour. It’s a hard leap to make when you get a lot of “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!?”. Most people from Ohio don’t do such things I guess…one must get married/have kids ASAP to have worth…since I have done neither and have 3 degrees, I make many heads shake in sadness and confusion. ;) All I know is this- I am not a person who is happy standing still. I need to learn, I need to grow, and I need as many gleeful “I NEVER thought I’d be doing *THIS* when I got up this morning” moments as possible. It is so easy to get so bogged down with doing what is expected of us that we let our dreams become buried and forgotten. Life is too short for that…
I can identify (kind of) with the ‘worth’ thing. At least there isn’t a heap of pressure on me, but I have a friend from SC who is in the same boat as she is VERY different from a lot of her SC friends in the life path she has taken.
My advice would be to bypass the visa thing and just volunteer for the month and then travel. If you love it and have opportunities you can always figure out a way to stay – but at least you’re giving yourself a change to try it out. Make a short list of places you absolutely HAVE to see and get to those – it’s a big space! Again, that’s just my opinion and you might work better with the visa option. Whatever you do, don’t let other people deter you – it’s an amazing country with nice people (obviously don’t expect everyone to be nice, but that’s the same as anywhere!), amazing natural beauty, and weather I cry over when it’s 30F outside! Your worth is within you and as I said before, who knows where it will take you?
Wow, I took a break because I was getting discouraged working on my own “unpractical” dream. I decided to read your blog (like I do on a regular basis) and this was so encouraging. It came at just the right time. It is sad to think that we don’t follow our dreams and often give up just because it seems unpractical or unrealistic. Angela, I admire you so much and even though this is my first time posting you have been a major influence on me and I love your blog! THANKS!
Wow, thank you for your really kind comment. Im so happy the post was able to help you along your path too. Thats how I feel about the above comments, very inspiring! Goodluck with your goals :)
OMG, reading, working and watching the news at the same time, there was a subject tonight about folks who had been laid off from jobs and were pursuing things they’d only dreamed of doing. Wow….and reading this blog at the same time that was reported is kind of Twilight Zoney….teehee! I put that book in my Amazon queue and am looking forward to reading it. I am having these thoughts lately of no longer wanting to be stuck in a cubicle daily life just for a paycheck and being so unhappy with that job and that world 10-12 hrs. a day. I recently borrowed some language CDs from a friend to learn to speak German, once I get that down conversationally, I’d like to learn Italian. I love different languages.
Thank you Angela for quite an inspiring blog. I, as well, am inspired by your blogs and talk about you quite often with friends. In fact, I spoke of you during my 15k today with some fellow runners and also at a ladies luncheon. You always make me smile. :0)
Oh wow. I can really relate to the idea of needing a practical purpose right now. My story is very much like yours it seems. I just graduated with my Masters in Accounting. I have what some would consider “a dream job” with one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms starting in October after I pass all 4 CPA exams this summer. My husband is currently in law school and has 2 years left. In other words, we have zero income right now and in October we will just be living off of my income for the next 2 years.
However, after getting my Masters and going through the CPA process, I have realized that I don’t want to be an auditor. I want to do something I have always loved but simply pushed to the side because it wasn’t “practical.” I want to be a nutrition and health coach/counselor. I want to help others who want to be healthy, but just don’t know how. It’s hard finding the motivation to study for the CPA exam when I would rather be getting other health related certifications. Basically, following my dream career would not be practical at all right now, but it is a desire that won’t simply go away. For now, I’ve decided that if I can stick it out being an auditor for 2 years until my husband graduates from law school, then maybe I can start following my dream career at that time. Either way, it’s going to happen at some point, I just don’t know when, but we will see! In the meantime, I definitely am going to read Eat Pray Love! Thanks for sharing that thought provoking piece from the book.
On another note, I was recently attacked by a gigantic cobweb too!! I just blogged about it a couple days ago… crazy! It must be spider season (if there is such a thing)…
I read Eat Pray Love last year and had to put it down when reading through the India part. Italy was great, but I just got bored after that. I might see the movie and give the book another chance.
I’m very happy with my marriage and family life, just not completely fulfilled professionally. I often wonder if I’m being a baby, because I get paid well (for my career in marketing), have great co-workers, a laid back boss, etc. I’m luck to HAVE a job since I was laid off for three months last year. I just don’t feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing with my talents and skills. I want to work for myself. I’d love to have my own working organic farm. Or work in the environmental science field. I have too much student loan debt to consider a huge change though. :(
There is so much I want to do. So many things I think about doing or dream about doing but don’t do or haven’t done. My parents have always pressured me to do things that are practical and “by the book.” I don’t want to totally blame them but my desire for their approval definitely colored some of my previous decisions. Here are some things I want to do but probably aren’t “practical”:
– travel to Berlin, Paris, India, everywhere
– open my own bakery/ cafe
– educate people about nutrition/ healthy cooking
– become an amazing yogi
– sell my baked goods
I hope I’ll be able to make some of these things happen and not let practicality stand in my way. Thanks for sparking this great discussion!
I would love to live in another country for a while, but I love my job and my home, and wouldn’t want to lose either.
I’m still figuring out what I want, but I’m not afraid to do some crazy (to other people) Stuff along the way. I encouraged my high school students–especially the high achievers who spend all their time studying and racking up extracurriculars to get into the perfect college and to have the “perfect” life not to be afraid to jump off the fast track for a week or a summer or a year. I move to Germany after college because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and spent two years nannying, teaching, and studying. Eventually my practical side won out and I came home to work as a high school teacher for three years. This year, I realized I was no longer learning, I was starting to do the minimum, and my environment was toxic. I love teaching and I loved that the vacation time allowed me to travel (spent a month in Aus/NZ last summer) but I didn’t like the place or the admin anymore. So, with support from my BF, I’m jumping ship again and moving to Korea for a year to teach English and travel–after a summer of savoring the US and a month back in Germany refreshing my language skills. I don’t speak Korean but i didn’t speak German when I got there either. These things don’t scare me… But I know they are challenges for others.
What I want to achieve is what you’ve done! I want to find a healthy balance, I want to discover what makes me tick and what I am actually created to do. I want to set and fulfill athletic goals for myself and not be afraid to push myself hard. I want to learn how to go a little easier on myself. These things to me are difficult… Whether they are practical or not.
Good luck in your travel plans. If you need any advice, I know some tricks :-)
I am in the middle of reading this book toooo!!! I jsut got back from a 3-month stay in Rome to study, and I can’t stop thinking about travelling now. The world seems like such a smaller place now! I want to go EVERYWHERE, but there are so many other things I *should* be doing…… to me though, I can’t really imagine anything more important to me than learning everything the whole world has to offer. I want to know people from all over the world, and see so many things, I would sacrifice so much just to do that. It is something I have recently realized and I am so glad you are helping people to realize things like this too!!
i actually stopped reading that book halfway through, hahaha. it just got too preachy to me, not my cup of tea. i appreciate her sentiment, but i just wasnt a fan of her voice.
as for the travel thing that you and eric want to do, do it!!!! my husband and i are just finishing up a year of living in london. we’ve been to 5 countries and in two week we’ll have added 2 more to that list (including iceland which i never thought i’d get the chance to go to!). it’s a lot easier to travel in europe than i thought, once you get to europe you can get super cheap flights from ryanair or easyjet, and trains and hostels are totally affordable too. it’s scary and it’s stressful and it’s hard, but it’s so worth it! my husband and i might have not made the “responsible” choice this year (get a job, go back to school), but we dont have kids or a mortgage, so this is the best time in our lives to do it and i’m so so so glad that we did. a really great blog that you should check out is www.yesandyes.org- sarah von is my travel idol, she has tons of great and practical advice.
as for me, i would love to one day own a hobby farm out in the country in southern alberta!
Hey Amie,
I would like to ask you some questions regarding your one year in London with your husband. I don’t know how to reach you. I am a French girl. I lived in the US for 7 years. I am thinking of moving to London in the next year or so. I know London a bit and went in high school in England for a while. But it’s been a while I have been living in the US too. And my situation is different now. I am married to an American. I’d love to hear about your experience there and get some advices maybe.
hi Isa! i’d love to help out. my blog is getaneyepatchman.wordpress.com, there’s lot of london info on there. and you can email me at amie.schaufele at gmail dot com with any questions!
I bought Eat, Pray, Love on CDs about 3 years ago and listened to them while driving around town. Then I uploaded them on my iTunes and have listened to the book twice on my iPod. I absolutely LOVE the fact that Elizabeth narrates the book so you can really feel her emotions. I listen to a lot of books at work on my iPod and have enjoyed EPL the most. I have thought about buying the book so I can make notes in it and read sections when times in my life are a bit edgy. I loved her writing so much I went right out in January and got “Committed” and read that with verve. I knew I would get married and have kids long before I thought about whether or not there could be anything else in life. So I was intrigued to read about why she was so averse to getting married to the man she madly loved.
–I want to go rock climbing. First I need to get my weight and eating habits under control (hence why I follow your blog Angela and several other healthy people).
–I really want to travel overseas but first we have to deal with two teenagers going to college in the next 2 years. EPL made me want to spend an indeterminate amount of time at an Ashram in India to find some quiet space in my brain.
–I would like to get a 4 year degree…but in what? I have been in accounting for almost 28 years and an accounting degree does not interest me at all. So, nutritional science? What to do? At the age of 48, there isn’t a practical reason to get a degree but I think I would feel so much better about myself if I did.
Enjoy the book!
Love this comment Kim…I say go out and do all three of those things that you listed!! Make a plan. I’m rooting for you :)
Hi,
I was always in the obedient, hard-working, good student, good daughter mould. Never ambitious, but once I started working I gave it my all and had no time for anything else.
A medical situation struck – the bones in my vertebra column collapsed (over-work, poor nutrition, poor posture etc contributing to it) and I was completely bed-ridden for 3 months. After that I had to wear a metal brace for 6 months for my back. All in all, I was away from work for 11 months. My employers held my position for me (I told you I was a hard-worker!).
That was 9 years ago and life has never been the same again. I re-joined work but my heart wasn’t in it and I quit to do social work :)
I assisted in Tsunami rehab work and various other projects for 3 years, surviving on my savings. After my money ran out, I got back into a mainstream job (I’m a software developer). But I can tell you my heart’s not in it. I quit that job after 4.5 years and am at cross roads now.
My heart wants to get back to social work (my family isn’t supportive of that) but ‘practicality’ insists that I find another well-paying job soon.
The eternal dilemma continues. Fortunately though, in the last 5 years (while I had a steady job), I travelled to Egypt, Italy, Japan and France. I’m 37, female and single, a huge stigma in India! :)
Cliched as it sounds, life really is unpredictable. Do good and live your dreams now – for now is all we have. Everyone chides me that I’m such a loser because my life has been so whimsical and impractical. But I feel so wealthy with all the experiences I’ve had :) :)
I hope you find a way out of your rut and live your dreams!
Well , at first I have to say that I read your blog since a couple of months. I think you have such a great attitude towards life, nutrition and sports – you became a bit of a role model for me.
I had problems with eating since I was fourteen ( now I’m nearly eighteen) and reading blogs like yours have really changed my approach towards eating a lot , so that I hope I will accept that eating is a necessity and I don’t have to look super-skinny to be happy.
I ran my first race yesterday and never felt so good – for me running is just something I enjoy. I’d like to learn dutch ( I’m living in Germany) even though I will probably never live in the netherlands I like the sound of the language. Like my grandmother says: Something you’ve learned no one can take away from you. (I hope I translated it right)And I’d like to travel to the U.S. and Asia and Australia … really see something.
Now I will definately buy the book ( I saw it last week in the bookstore in the english book section and refrained from buying it, wrong decision).
I’m looking forward to read a lot of your inspiring posts in the future :) ( And I hope I there are not too many grammar mistakes in my comment )
Thank you for your nice comment Katherine! Goodluck with your journey :)
Geez…I am one of the few that really disliked this book…I really wanted to like it. I liked Italy, disliked India and hated Bali. I just didn’t find her character to be sympathetic at all. Am I the only one?
My big thing in my life is I refuse to use the word ‘regret’. Whatever decisions I have made or may make are ones I made….I can live with them and if they don’t work out, I can learn from them.
Nope a few commenters above said they only finished half! I dont think you are alone :)
I think that if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, you and Eric should take the time for yourselves to travel before the oppourtunity is gone and you’re left wondering what it would have been like.
I was lucky enough to have been able to get away and travel when I was 15 years old and went on a year-long exchange to Japan. It was impractical in a lot of ways – I had to take an extra year of high school when I got back and watch all my friends graduate without me, there was definitely cost involved even though much was subsidized through Rotary, and speaking Japanese doesn’t really have a practical purpose outside of Japan. Even with all this impracticalities, I’ve still never regretted going, because the experience of travelling made me who I am today and opened a whole new world to me. I feel so fortunate because I always hear people wishing they had the opportunity to travel, and I had already been halfway around the world and back by the time I was 16.
Now, some things that I would love to do are go to culinary school (but it would be so expensive and add more years onto what will already be 5 years of post-secondary education for me, and I wouldn’t be using the degree for any job I would have) or compete in a triathalon (but I would need to buy a bike and all the gear needed, and training would take time that I’m just not sure I’ll ever be able to find, plus I’m scared that I’d never physically be able to do it). Neither are really have any “practical” purpose… but would be nice knowing I’ve done :)
Wow I had no idea you went to japan…that is realy amazing, let alone at such a young age!
I too have thought about culinary school. I actually googled vegan culinary schools and was agast to see there were virtually none out there.
I am a mother of two high energy, fun loving, precious kids. My son is 4 and my daughter just turned one. They have both rocked my world in such an amazing way. My life is no longer my own. My day revolves around them and meeting their needs. Being a mother is an incredible gift. What I truly want is for my children to be able to say is that their mother encouraged and allowed them to be themselves, never tried to change them, and loved every single part of them. That would be my goal at the end of the day!
Eat, Love,Pray is one of my favorite books..To me it was a wonderful book and I enjoyed each page and her journey..
At this time of my life I’m content, I have three boys ages 18, 16, 11 and had a surprise (blessed) little girl at 44 and she is now 4. I am a flight attendant and have traveled all over the world. I’m not flying now but still employed with my company. I might go back one day.
It would love to go back to Paris with my husband, but at this time in our lives we just can’t. I try hard to stay in the moment and enjoy my life now. It’s hard at time with an 18 year old , teenage years are a hard time but I will get through this.
Life is wonderful and we all need DREAMS!!
You have inspired so many people and have such a passion you will go far, and achieve all that you desire. I so enjoy reading your blog.
I bought “Eat, Pray, Love” a couple years ago and was so enthralled and moved by almost every word! One of our dreams is to visit Italy (stay 2 weeks … even better, 2 years)!! So, I devoured “Eat.” In 8th grade social studies, I did a report on the Taj Mahal and have been in awe of the Taj ever since. I have always wanted to visit, but never felt it would be do-able (as in not safe and sort of scary trying to navigate it all). Amazingly, we are going to India for 2 WEEKS next year with the trip beginning with a special excursion to the Taj Mahal!!! I tear up just thinking about it … a dream come true for this girl!!! I am going to re-read “Pray” before we leave (as well as get my hands on all sorts of information on the religions and the culture and all of the places we are set to explore). The entire thing is arranged and coordinated, so we just get to BE there and soak it all in and stand in the awesome-ness of our surroundings each and every moment. As far as “Love,” I have had mine for over 21 years now … and I think I will be adding a remote tropical island vacation to our “to do” list …
Ahh! I just spent 5 precious minutes writing, and then accidently closed my window! Oh well, here is my best recreation:
Travelling with kids IS possibel. When I (and my twin sister) were 10, my parents packed up everything and took us travelling around the world for 9 months. We spent six of those months in a tent, living out of a backpack (in Australia and New Zealand) and 2 or 3 in Thailand, staying in hostels. My parents had always wanted to travel with us, and so HAD been planning and saving, but it had always been a “one day” thing. Then- when we were in the middle of moving, my Dad announced that he wanted to go travelling THEN. The same night, he sent an email to a friend in Australia to tell him we were coming. We sold our house without buying a new one, sold our car, packed and left. It was a big step, and could be a scary one (my Dad is not fazed by stuff like quitting his job to travel), but it was the right one. If we hadn’t have done that, it would always have been “one day”/
When we travelled, and after, we met many other families with children, who were travelling. Most of them were going for 6 months or a year, or even longer. If you camp, or stay in hostels, it doesn’t have to be expensive. We were in Australia for six months, so we even bought a cheap car. My sister and I did school by correspondance through a place in Nelson. Per day, the longer you travel, the cheaper it gets, because the big costs like air fare get defraid. And when you are camping, you don’t have overhead like heating, gas, utilities etc. that you have with a house.
Travelling on your own, or without kids might be easier, but my parents to this day still talk about how glad they are they went with us. It completely changed my life, and made me a lot closer to my Dad (he worked full time while my Mom stayed at home). We weren’t rich- as I said, my Mom was a stay at home Mom. My parents had just saved, and been careful about what they spend their money on.
My grandparents thought my parents were crazy, but they weren’t. They wanted to travel with us, and so they did it. They “grabbed happiness by the ankles” and didn’t let go. It might have helped that we knew a couple who had been travelling since they were in their 30s (going on 20 years now I think). They had come back to Canada to work for 2 years once, but other than that, had just travelled. They were proof of how it is possible to travel for cheap. (They could travel through Australia for less than it cost them to live in Canada.)
If you want to travel before you have kids, do it, but don’t be afraid to try to do it with them as well.
Here is a link to those friend’s website detailing a lot of their travels:
https://sites.google.com/site/chickensrunamok/Home
wow what a great experience for you.
I’ve been following this blog for a couple months now as a lurker. I wanted to say that I loved this comment. My partner and I have been trying to figure out “life with kids” (10 yrs together & entering mid-30s soon). This comment makes me a little braver and to look outside the box when it comes to life!
I also love this comment!
I’ve heard great things about EPL. I just watched the trailer with Julia Roberts and it looks like a great film. I haven’t read the book yet because when I saw her on Oprah I didn’t think it applied to my life yet..now I think it does.
I’m on the verge of making a career change and I don’t know what direction to chose. There are the pratical jobs I could take and there are the ones that are more aligned with my passions but are less practical. I so badly want to go with my passions but I have financial responsibilities that always hold me back. Everyone says just go for it, everything will work itself out. I’ve just never “gone for it” before:)
I also want to travel -across Canada, down to California, throughout Europe, New Zealand.
I want to climb a big mountain somewhere in the world
Great post!
I am married to a CA. That translates into “everything in life must have a reason, some sort of logic behind it or it doesn’t make sense.” He’s all about being realistic, and I’m very much into following my dreams and coming up with new ones.
I’m lucky in that I’ve managed to surround myself with things I am passionate about – a teaching career, amazing friends and family, writing, reading awesome books, running, etc. There are a couple things that come to mind though
– taking a cooking class. I’m a vegetarian, hubby loves meat. I love veggies, hubby won’t eat them. Needless to say, I cook my dinner and he comes home from work to cook what he wants. It seems pointless to take a cooking class just for me, but I’m sure I’ll sign up at some point
– My biggest dream in life is to travel to Africa and volunteer at an orphanage, I’m desperate to do this. Not many people support this, they all have no idea why I’d want to go to Africa. I’ve always been drawn to it, I find the culture and people beautiful. I told hubby that’s what I want for my 40th birthday.
– Going to a Buddhist temple. I’m so drawn to that religion and would love to learn more. I’m too scared to go alone though and can’t see myself following the religion that closely to become a regular temple go-er, but it’s something I’d love to do
– Getting certified to teach yoga. I have no idea why, again, I love the basis of it. It would be so much fun to take the weekend getaway courses, though I’m not sure I could do anything with the certification as I have a daughter to be with at night…and the courses are pretty pricey!
– Go on a yoga retreat. Sounds like a ton of fun and a great way to re connect with yourself. It’s more money than I would like to spend on myself though and have always felt those retreats are for the “hardcore” yogis!
Since losing my Mom 6 years ago, I have been all about “less talk and more action”….sounds to me like it’s time to start planning some things, life is WAY too short to just talk about what we want to do.
Thank you everyone for your amazing comments!
I know I’m coming in super late on this post, but I had to comment!
I just quit my job 3 weeks ago simply because it wasn’t making me happy. It was draining me of all energy and life. I do know what direction I want to go now and I’m heading there as fast as I can! Since I quit, I’ve taken and then randomly lost two different jobs, and the more things don’t go the way I think they should, the more I’m sure that God has a plan, and I need to just be patient and continue stepping out in faith.
So far my journey of pursuing what I want rather than what’s practical has been so scary, but I’ve never felt freer in my entire life! Just today I was starting to feel doubt and fear creep in, and then I hopped on your blog to catch up and found this post. It has brought tears to my eyes because it is just the reassurance and encouragement I need right now. I always though pursuing my dreams would be easy…and it’s definitely not. It’s hard to go against what everyone thinks you should be doing and to step into the unknown, but I’m just pressing on trusting that it’s going to be worth it!
The year after my husband and I got married, I finished up school and he quit his job so we could move overseas to Thailand for a year. During that year we got to travel all around SE Asia – Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and also Japan. It was the hardest year of my life, but also the most amazing, and was so good for our marriage. It put us behind financially, but was so worth it! Since then we’ve continued to travel every summer. It’s all about making it a priority. It’s never going to be easy or convenient…you just have to make it happen. I always say – I don’t care what we have to give up to keep traveling because in my opinion there is nothing that is more impactful than seeing the world and learning others cultures. Love it!
Thanks for this post and for all you do!
This is a fantastic article about the things women are supposed to want in their lives vs doing what makes you happy:
http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/05/10/screw_happiness/index.html
My favorite quote is “Stop doing those spoiled things that bring you fulfillment or you’ll never find fulfillment!”
Travel is one of those things that you really have to make an effort to do – it’s so easy to spend your time and money on other things. Maybe do a big trip every year on your anniversary (or some other date)? That gives you an excuse to go.
I recently decided to go back to school – it was a totally impractical decision. I had a job, I was good at it, and it paid well… so why would i want to quit and spend 3 years in school full-time to start over in a totally different career? Especially since I’d be almost to my mid-thirties by the time I was done with school?
I eventually decided that it may be impractical, but my current job (I used to work in IT) was just killing my soul and it wasn’t worth it. I’d rather start over in something I loved. I could make the finances work, and even if I wound up making less money in the long run, my happiness would be worth it. I start classes for my doctorate in physical therapy next month and I couldn’t be happier.