This was mentioned to me some time ago by a user in an internet forum in relation to my work, and it was one of those moments when I could only shake my head in disbelief towards the small-mindedness and terrifying stupidity of some people 🤦♀️ (unfortunately there is no head-shaking emoji). I then tried to explain to this user that I am of the opinion one could very well be proud to earn money with an activity that brings oneself happiness and fulfillment, but these remarks unfortunately already exceeded his intellectual horizon 🤷♀️.
His verdict would probably be different if I had a job that doesn’t make me happy but is well-respected within society’s norms. But can one really be proud of subordinate to normative societal values and striving for a life that is worth striving for in the eyes of others, but not fulfilling for oneself?
The average lifespan of a person is around 80 years, for some it is a little longer, for others less. When you look at it that way, it’s not much. Shouldn’t the goal be to fill this – actually quite short – time with things and activities that bring you happiness and fulfillment? Which give you fun and which you are passionate about? Which you look forward to and don’t pursue out of a “must”, but out of a “want”? Why should all this not apply to a professional activity as well 🤔? I actually think that this should apply especially to a professional activity, because after all, a majority of people spend most of their time with their work.
How many people torment themselves to work every day, are only looking forward to the weekend and think Mondays are terrible because then a new work week starts? How many people think “I have to work tomorrow” instead of “I am looking forward to going to work tomorrow”? How many people have jobs that do not give them any pleasure and fulfillment, but which are viewed as a necessary evil or which are only pursued because the parents do it too and then one should take over the company after the parents’ retirement?
I think that every person can and should be proud of earning money with an activity that is fun for them, that they are passionate about and are able to wholeheartedly say “I don’t know anything I would rather do”. And it absolutely doesn’t matter what kind of profession that is! What other people think about it and whether you meet any societal expectations should be completely irrelevant, because after all, it is not others who lead this life, but yourself.
If you are unhappy with what you are doing, you should try to change it and not push your dreams and goals further into the future out of fear of failure or out of habit. At some point you will regret not having left the trodden path, because even if it is said “it is never too late”, you will reach this point eventually, because nobody lives forever. Life is just too short for flimsy compromises.
So yes, I can definitely say that I am proud of what I do, because I successfully and passionately pursue an activity that I enjoy, that brings me happiness and fulfillment, even if some dumb little minds are unable to comprehend that. One can only hope for these people that they can say the same about their profession.
Yours, Ava 💋