My object in living is to unite my avocation and my vocation

[bcholmes]

[Poll #1310716]

What would you be doing right now if you were following your bliss?

Comments

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

My bliss has changed over the years. So, I'm not following my bliss of my 20s, but I'm following the bliss of my 30s... I'd say about 85-95% of the time.

I'm both lucky, and have busted my ass for it though.

N.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

What moved me from yes-ish to 100 percent yes, some years ago, was the realization that my own bliss has absolutely nothing to do with how I earn my living. That made having an OK-but-not-what-I'd-dreamed-of job perfectly all right.

[beable]

There's no poll option for my two eyes making one in sight.

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I am assuming that the subject line indicates that I'm following it *through the means of my paid employment*. I think I do follow it through other means, and I don't think following it through my paid employment is a necessary goal.

[herbmcsidhe.livejournal.com]

As the years pass, where I find my bliss has also changed. I do believe that I'm following it more closely at 54 than I did at 24.

[wild-irises.livejournal.com]

I'm (reasonably) happy in what I do, and in my choices, but I'm not following my bliss, which would be some kind of peace/justice work full time.

[rosefox]

I'd be hanging out in my room, petting my kitty and reading LJ. Quel coincidence!

[jiawen]

At this point, I'd like a job that used at least some of my skills, was involved in a non-profit and was stable to rely on. If it matched those three, I think it would be close enough to my goals. I need something along those lines. Instead, what I'm mostly doing is worrying about my next paycheck.

If money were no problem, I'd probably go back to grad school for something. Chinese gender studies? Social work? Chinese pedagogy? Something like that. Then to follow with a job that uses those skills and isn't evil and is reliable.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

That's a bit of a frosty reply.

:)

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

I think that what's cool is that I get that from your posts. There's something very... happy... that comes through in your posts.

[beable]

I'm just not convinced the poll can ever really be done ...

[mdiumcoolgrrl.livejournal.com]

Well, I still make photocopies, but I am looking at programs in meteorology...I love the weather!

[nitoda]

I'd be spending much more time on home and family - I think I wouldn't mind (and would probably enjoy) my job if it were half the number of hours it takes up currently, though the commute would still be a pain. I'd prefer to have more energy for meaningful volunteering work and such. I'm advised however that I need to work fulltime for a couple more years before I retire in order to maximise future income. Currently I'm frustrated as I don't feel I have enough energy to do *anything* really well, much less all the things I'm currently involved in. Yet there is nothing I really want to give up.

[abostick59.livejournal.com]

Well, right now my bliss feels like it should be sitting around at the Algonquin swapping bon mots with Wolcott, Benchley, Parker, and company. But ten years ago I was green with envy for the people who were doing what I do now for income (playing cards for money).

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

*nod*

I've been trying to reconcile the fact that although I really like my job and I love what I do, and although that doesn't seem to be a terribly common thing, I still get more out of the stuff I do in Haiti.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

Does your bliss ever push to be less comfy?

[rosefox]

All the time. That's why I make a point of taking breaks occasionally.

Or did you mean something more general by "right now"? If I expand that to this time in my life as a whole, I'd be refining my ideas about what I want to do as a career, taking on projects that stretch my abilities, generally aiming for more nuance and a sense of the long term in my reactions and behavior, spending time focused on people I love, taking better care of myself, being more responsible (not just in the sense of meeting my commitments, but in the sense of truly feeling responsibility, in an emotional and physical way that I'm not sure I can verbally articulate), getting out of my head, getting into my body, getting my house in order both literally and metaphorically. All of those things have built-in moments of bliss--which I think I define as something like "ecstatic contentment"--and all point the way to a future where there is more bliss in my life, and I'm doing all of them as much as I can and then pushing myself to do them a bit more.

As part of "taking better care of myself", I make sure I get some downtime. *) Otherwise it's too easy to spend so much time and attention on chasing goals that I don't appreciate the ones I've already caught.

EDIT: Oh, and I'd be feeding the good things already in my life to keep them healthy. That's very important.

yes-ish

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

if i had no depression i would be doing a lot more of what i used to do; contributing to society in a positive way. i try to make my peace with it not being possible, because then at least i don't waste energy beating on myself. ah well.

i just saw a post on dkos by somebody who's working in haiti, and i thought of you: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/7/101250/872/904/668292