I had the perfect job. Then things started to change rapidly. Soon it was clear I was no longer needed, and I was out. (This has happened twice to me, and if I can help it, it will never happen again.)
A colleague who was also exiting the company (and had an even “better” job) said to me “Tom, whatever you do, make sure you do something that is part of your plan, and not just someone else’s.”
That advice has been my inspiration to freelance, and am so grateful for it.
Don’t sacrifice happiness for a secure paycheck. Because that paycheck can’t buy happiness, and the only security lies in having a craft people need and the willingness to do what others don’t want to do. (I guess we ahould all be plumbers!)
Instead find work you can really enjoy, something that you look forward to. Find aomething that uses and develops your natural gifts, and strive to be the best in the world at what you do.
If your job makes you feel like a cog in a wheel, like you are just another battery in The Matrix, here’s a quote for you:
Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.
Farrah Gray
My dad gave me very little direct advice actually, and the only tip I can remember was this: “Whatever you do, do something you enjoy.”
Do your thing.