How to be happy with your first job

Continued from last week

Following are the some thoughts and insights on creativity, clarity and happiness.

Creativity

While it is obvious that people in any field of work need to be creative, creativity is not just about being a great artist or designer. It is about finding solutions and solving problems. During the time that I couldn't find a job, I was focusing so much on the strife that it was bringing me, instead of focusing on what I could actively do to 'turn my luck around'.

In today's world, anything is possible with a bit of creativity and hard work. I think we are all capable of going after our dreams, but that does require a little bit of thinking outside the box on our own part - nobody is going to hand us a cookie-cutter dream job.

Clarity

My mind has never felt clearer and focused, now that it has been stripped of expectations. Originally, I thought of my day job as something that drained my energy and was the barrier to my career I really wanted - now, I see it as the key to my success. Like it or not, freedom requires financial security. Once I let go of the idea that I was trapped, I saw every aspect of my life as an important ingredient in the eventual success of my vision.

Nothing is holding us back - we manifest our lives through what we do. Knowing how each act consciously contributes to our vision is the key.

Creativity means nothing if we don't have the clarity to know what it is we are going after, and how we are going to get there. After that last interview was over, I took stock of what I had to offer and what my best skills were, and then decided with laser-sharp focus what I really wanted to do and how I was going to get there, one step at a time.

As my design teacher liked to say, "KISS" - Keep it simple, stupid. Understanding and figuring out what we want to do with our lives is deceptively simple (I simply went back to my childhood craving of independence and love of fashion and writing), as are the steps towards our dreams - you just have to focus in on what they are, and cut out all things that sidetrack you from your true vision.

Happiness

In the end, it all boils down to happiness. I wasn't happy at that point. I felt trapped. What I really wanted was freedom, not a job. And the act of job searching was not only draining and unfulfilling, but it got in the way of my grand plan for happiness.

Why are we conditioned to view the working life as the precedent to retirement? I no longer think that way. I am reaching for happiness and fulfillment today, every day. Had I found a job, I may be toiling my days designing clothes for a company whose philosophy doesn't match mine, or worse, I may be left working 12 hour days as a design assistant, doing nothing more than measuring samples all day.

What I do after I get home from my day job brings me so much joy that I would do it for free - of course, my aim is that I will be able to make a living out of it.

Through joy, creativity and clarity, I know that my true dreams are possible - all I need now is persistence.