Choices, Reactions and Strawberry Hearts

"

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."-Confucius

While I disagree with this statement based on definitions, I agree with the sentiment. I enjoy work. I like putting my aching feet up at the end of the day knowing I can be proud of the physical labor I endured to get results. I come from a long line of hard workers. I admire all professions because we need them for society as a whole. However, I completely understand I was not born to sit behind a desk all day. Yes, some days I wish I could just relax my body (I would even settle for taking a "normal" lunch break). I would never call office work easy. It is mentally and emotionally taxing. But, for our purposes, I am speaking of physical work.

Based on definitions of 'job' and 'work', the quote doesn't make sense to me. I love the work. I don't remember ever thinking of my work as a job. Do I get paid? Most definitely. It is technically a job. Do I need the money to live? Yep. But, in the moment, the reason I can stand for 12-14 hours while mixing and chopping and kneading is because I love the work. I am not thinking about the job aspect. Maybe the only time I remember loathing my position was when I worked behind a desk. I cried a lot that summer because of the actual job.

I do agree people need to find work they love and follow their passions and skills. We can "get by" in any job. People do it every day. Are you proud of the work, no matter the position? It is important to me to take pride and ownership with any job I have. It doesn't usually matter if I absolutely love the environment or the co-workers. Am I using my strengths to better myself and the world? 

This is the question I want to ask. Are you using your strengths and dreams to better yourself and the world? It doesn't matter much what the job entails. What is the feeling you get from doing the work, regardless if you are sitting behind a desk or building sandwiches or cleaning toilets or maintaining children? Yes, sometimes it is difficult to change careers when we have little experience in our preferred field. It's scary and complicated. So, change how you react instead.

I don't see this as settling, which is almost as bad as hating your work. I see changing our reactions and emotions more like finding a clear head. Maybe you stay at a job for years because you can't quite justify losing that income only to fail at finding the job you truly want. So, why not enjoy it or at least stop seeing it with a closed heart? Allow yourself to be happy, even if you hate your job. Soon, you will start to see the opportunities in that position or maybe even see creative ways to switch careers. It is so hard to see opportunity when we are focused on all the negative aspects of a situation. I see it as the first step.

Now, sometimes, a person can get lucky and find a solution right away. A potential new boss sees your positive work ethic and wants to recruit you for your dream job. But, more often than not, you will still have to make actionable steps to change. Work. It's more work. If you love it, if you love the person you see in the mirror, if you can handle all the little annoyances because you see the bigger picture--it will be that much easier to put in the work involved in finding your niche and get paid for it. 

If you truly hate your job, it shows. It shows in the work you do, in the product you create. Even if you think you are hiding your emotions, the anger and sadness and bitterness show on your face. You create a hostile workspace for your co-workers and customers or clients. More (most) importantly, why are you letting yourself down? Not every day has to be sunshine and rainbows and puppies. Not every day has to be a violent shit storm either. Life is too short to willingly be unhappy every day of existence. Yes, we need anger and sadness and all the emotions. We need moments at work when everything is falling apart no matter how much we like our jobs. We need these things to feel human, but balance is key. Why make every day a struggle? It's your choice. 

I am fortunate to work at two jobs I love. Will I be slicing strawberries or rolling dough for years to come? Does it matter? In this moment, I am not struggling. Instead of seeing another annoying piece of fruit, I smile at the enormous strawberry hearts. It's hard work seeing opportunity, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't do it if it was easy. Yet, I find joy in all the tough moments. I feel like I can better myself and the world around me by doing my job with a smile (or at least a lopsided grin because I'm so tired that my face decided to give up).

It doesn't matter that I limped home yesterday because I didn't stop to eat lunch or sit for a break in days. I realized my roommate automatically put on her pity face because I said I was tired. We are so accustomed to viewing "tired" as an indicator of a bad day at work. I like my job. I will continue to work harder and be better every day, no matter how many body parts give up on me. I am choosing this life. I am happy with my choice. I am so incredibly happy with my choice.

I guess that is the point of this story and life in general. If you choose something--a new career, buying a business, finding a new partner, a lifestyle, a different beer, a tattoo of that one girl you met once--you are the creator of that moment. Nobody owes you anything. Assumption is the root of all heartbreak. Take control of your own actions and reactions. Own your choices. 

You don't have to love the job to never work a day in your life. Be the person you love and the job won't matter. Be the best growing version of yourself, and the work won't seem like a struggle but a reward. Bonus points if others around you start to see the parts that you love about yourself. Extra bonus points if you start a chain reaction by becoming your best self. 

Let me tie this all in with my site and mission of Storied Knits. I like stories and characters. I love being surprised by the reactions of a character or real life person that I thought of only as a stereotype. To me a good story isn't driven by the plot or loudest explosions or body count or epic battle. A tale is only as captivating as the reactions of the characters.

While I may be busy with loving work and playing with the dog, I still intend to have new knitted creations up before the summer disappears and the cold sets in. If you have requests or projects in mind, let me know how I can help. Watch for discounts in the near future. I have two main goals for Storied Knits by the year's end: 1. Find more ways to up-cycle rather than recycle in my knits and bottle projects; 2. Find a way to give back that entices the most amount of people. I want the story of my venture to be one of caring, guidance and allowing others to be heard and seen. Your story matters to me. Your story matters to the world. How does your story matter most to you?

Find me on Instagram or shoot me an email storiedknits@gmail.com with questions, suggestions or just to chat about the stories we tell ourselves. I value your time.