Do what you love; love what you do

It's something I've heard throughout my life, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one. Yet, how many of us know someone who is not happy in their job. Sometimes the source of unhappiness is the company, the people you interact with, or even the role itself. But sometimes, it's more than that.

As a marketer, I am expected to be passionate about the product or service I am marketing. There were some roles in the past where I had to convince myself that it was okay to be passionate about the how of marketing, not what I was marketing. I didn't always have a choice of what I worked on, but I did get a lot of great experience from those products/services I was marketing.

I'm at a point in my career, and my life, where I want to connect with the product, and how I market it to consumers. I am proud that I am staying true to the title of this post and my current search has me focused on things I love, which lucky for me, I love many things, including: food, chocolate (yes, a separate category because I love chocolate that much!), cooking/baking (anything about a kitchen), family, exercise, outdoors, culture, travel, friends, learning, organizing, house hunting and the list could go on and on.

I am also at a point in my life where I'd like a little more stability. Stability doesn't mean lack of change, rather, opportunity for continued growth, a solid foundation. I would like us to buy a home close to my future employer as my oldest is about to enter Kindergarten in the fall. I'd like to know that the school he goes to is where he'll be for all of his elementary school years. He's already lived in two cities and a total of four homes, I feel a little guilt about his lack of stability since we became renters again when we returned to Chicago a few years ago. I'm also getting tired of packing and moving, although I am quite good at it!

I do get very excited when an offer is extended; it's a critical decision, a crossroad of life where you know if you say "yes!" your life will forever change. Except now, it's not just my life, it's my husband's life and my boys' lives that will also be impacted. Hopefully in a good way, but nevertheless affected. That is why it's so critical to do what you love and love what you do. Your job/career takes up a lot of time and if you are happy and love what you do, your "free" time will be a lot more fun, because you'll be happy. The people in your life will notice and they will be thankful too.

Have I oversimplified things? Yes, perhaps a bit, but I believe it really does come down to the ultimate goal of fulfilling yourself and doing the best you can for you, and those around you. What's your experience with jobs? Have you always loved your work, or do you believe in more of a punch-card mentality to show up, do the job, and live your life completely separate from work?