Paula, I subscribe to this belief.  In fact, once you love what you do, the word “work” loses its conventional meaning!

I love to help and uplift people.  If that’s too general, then I love to talk with people and help them expand and improve their lives in some way or another.  I’m something of a people person. 🙂

I’ve put a lot of thought into how that applies to what I do (work-wise.)  I feel blessed and fortunate to have the chance to work with so many amazing individuals and help them with their businesses.

What about you Paula?  What’s something you love like crazy.

WRITING! Love it.

Would you mind showing me your blog? Or what you write?  I’d love to see 🙂

Well, I figured out what mattered to me by stepping back.  I was too close to what I was doing and trying TOO HARD to figure out what the heck I wanted to do.  In other words, I was getting in my own way.

Once I relaxed and opened myself up to being more receptive, what truly mattered to me started to become crystal clear.

I can tell you, one of the things I’ve had to learn to let go of is C-O-N-T-R-O-L! Once I did that, it made my life easier in a lot of ways.

I’m new to this forum, but look to this website for daily sustenance in my painful routine. This is an obstacle I’ve been trying to overcome for years, but recently feel its pressure on a daily basis. Needless to say, I’m struggling. I’m passionate about music; listening to it, researching different musicians, learning their history, and trying to share that with others to help them maybe find some release or sense of having someone else relate to them when maybe they’re incapable of vocalizing whatever “it” is themselves….myself included. I feel there’s a certain therapy in music that reaches a broad spectrum of diverse individuals and their unique background. While this is my passion, hwow do I translate this to something I’m able to do as my “work”?

Thanks for the advice! I really DO appreciate it and have never really thought about how to logistically about moving toward my goal(s). I’ve never really believed I’m capable of doing something other than the 9-5 because I feel that it’s a “safe” way to support myself financially (that and I lack anything that resembles self-confidence, which is a whole different topic). After all, that’s what my parents and their parents have done for years, right? I feel lately that we’re all molded to fit what society has in mind for us. I DO believe some people fit the typical work environment well, and given different circumstances, I (and others) can clock in, do their jobs and clock-out, leaving that world behind them as they move forward day in and day out…becoming more and more consumed in their “safe” lives. I’m sure I’m not making much sense here, and this isn’t meant to sound judgmental at all because I deep down DO truly envy the people that can go to work day in and out and are perfectly content…they’ve found their purpose, or at least are in a position that the reward(s) outweigh the sacrifices. That’s what I’m looking for for myself. I’m afraid I’m never going to have the guts to actually break my current mold to give myself the opportunity to pursue or at least try different, maybe less traditional ways of fulfilling my purpose, while supporting myself financially.

I do consider doing a blog at times, but then I’m worried/afraid I would run out of interesting things to share eventually. My fears are controlling my life as I re-read this post.

Joy.
A few years ago I was visiting San Francisco and stopped at Grace Cathedral to walk their maze. The idea being you begin the maze with submitting whatever is bothering your soul to God, asking God to help you with your concerns.
Then you walk the maze praying on an answer, comfort, direction. I submitted my question, prayed on an answer, and hell if half way through the maze I didn’t feel like I had the answer.
Don’t worry about your questions, they will work themselves out. Instead be joyful.
Since that event I have made a point of being joyful. Of sharing joy with those I care about. Of bringing joy to whatever situation I can.
What that event reminded me of is that I can’t control situations. I can control how I respond.
And I choose to respond with joy.

I love cooking. More importantly, I love showing people how to cook in fun ways. I love creating my own flavors and learning about healing one’s self through food. Currently, I’m getting registered for culinary school, I volunteer at a food-based non-profit in Denver, CO and I just recently got a job as a prep cook (paying my dues and learning everything I can). In the coming couple of years, I am going to start my own non-profit. I’m not sure what it’s going to look like yet, but it’s going to be dealing with food and helping a whole lot of people.

I didn’t find my passion for cooking and food until a couple of years ago. I only got word from the Divine that I’m supposed to start a non-profit until a couple of weeks ago. I’ve worked in several different fields and cooking is the only one that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. There is just something that makes me so happy to be alive when I’m cooking. Nature really provides some amazing ingredients to use and play with… and I hope to be able to help many people find their passions through cooking and healthy eating.