The idea for this post came from a major annoyance of mine. We all have
heard it: “you should just quit your job, and make your hobby your job,
and you’ll be happy”.
I don’t agree.
The more I think about what makes me happy, the more I think it is
something a bit more complex than just doing what you love.
I have done a lot of changes with my life since August last year, and
this text is a reflection on how they have made me happier.
Balance. You need to have a balance between your private and work life
that you are happy about. I’m talking about “work life” as in paid work.
Some people like to work a stupid amount, while others like to work
less. You need to figure out what you like, and live within those
boundaries.
Arrangement. Some people like to have one job, while others like to
have more than one, or even many. I prefer to have more than one job,
you need to figure out what’s the right thing for you.
What. One of the most important things in life is to figure out what
you want to work with. I used to think software development was the
thing I should work with. I have done it, and still do it. It’s not like
I hate it, but I don’t think it is something I will do forever. You need
to check if the thing you are doing right now, is the best thing for
you.
Develop yourself. I’m self critical of nature. And I’m also a strong
believer in the essence in the “Outliers” message. You can learn
anything.
I learnt how to do both general software development and web
development, during my teens. It was hard work. But I learnt it by
talking to other people that was learning, and by doing.
I never card much about or for writing during High School. But I got
more interested in it when a few years ago. What I did was to follow the
old advice by doing it a lot. I wrote at least 500 words every single
day, until I got good at it.
This year, I have done something different. It’s not the exact same
process, but similar. I have never been that good at taking the
initiative, and talking to people I don’t know. But I took up a job as a
street fundraiser this year.
You learn by doing, and by your mistakes. Embrace and learn from them.
Hobbies. I think they are the single most important thing any person
are doing. I have a few of them. I love taking pictures, writing on this
(and other) sites. I love talking to intelligent people. And I love
hiking.
I usually think about my paid gigs as a way for me to do, and develop my
hobbies.
What makes someone happy? What makes me happy is to be able to do a
lot of different things. I work one day a week for free in a student
pub. I use the rest of my time doing fundraising, studying, software
development. Or politics, photography and writing.
Find your balance, and don’t be afraid to change the parts of your life
that are making your miserable.
(#blog)