By Ashmi Patel – Managing Editor
Picture this: You’re eight years old and your grade school teacher asks you what you want to be when you grow up. After some thought, you answer with something extremely ambitious like: a doctor, an astronaut, artist, or firefighter. At eight years old, you see no obstacles and have no fear.
Fast forward a decade or so: You’re in college or recently graduated. You are now faced with the choice of taking the career choice that is safe and boring or taking a leap of faith and choosing to follow your dreams. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating throwing on a pair of tights and a leotard to become a self proclaimed superhero. But going for a dream career that may have a rocky path sure seems more worth it than ending up at a 9-5 cubicle job that you absolutely detest.
1. You owe it to yourself to be happy
- You’ve spent your childhood to early adulthood frolicking through the fields of happiness, so why stop now? Why not find that job that you’re good at, and pursue that career that makes you happy? Finding happiness doesn’t have to be a luxury; it’s just about taking a leap of faith and committing to the things that fulfill your everyday life.
2. “So, what are you going to do with that?”
- If I had a dime for every time someone had that response to my Religious Studies major, I would have a room full of dimes to dive in like Scrooge McDuck in Duck Tales! Ducks aside, never let someone else’s opinion be a bump in your road. People will always have their opinions about what you’re doing, and someone will always disagree with your decisions. But the people in your life who love you and have your best interest at heart will always support you and root for you.
3. Life is more fun when you’re happy
- Remember when you were a kid and your plans consisted of play dates, school-supply shopping, and naps? Well, finding a job you love can make your day consist of grown-up fun: shows and concerts with your friends, real shopping, and naps (yes, you get to keep naps). Plus, coming home from work won’t cause you to grumpily stumble into your apartment and watch Zooey Deschanel live her perfect teacher life, with her perfect guy roommates, in her perfect musical world. Instead, you’ll hopefully have your own perfect life to sing and dance through!
4. Waking up in a bad mood sets you up for wrinkles
- There aren’t enough beauty products in the world to keep you from wrinkling if you have a permanent frown on your face. They say it takes forty-three face muscles to frown while it only takes seventeen to smile. Who are you kidding; we all know you hate exercising, so why are you not giving your face a break? Find a job you love, give your face a break and wake up every morning with a smile on your face. Plus, if your face gets stuck one morning, I’m sure you’d much rather it get stuck with a smile rather than that funky half grimace half snarl thing you get when you’re cranky.
To end with a few words from the great philosopher Confucius:
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Yes, live your dream!