The root of all evil
So a co-worker and I were discussing our professional careers last week. We talked of the jobs we've had, how much work they required, and what we got paid to do them. We've come to the realization that we've been going the wrong way on the old career ladder.
This is not to say that we've been demoted so to speak, but that we make significantly less money now than we have in the past. The distant past, which gets pretty depressing when you adjust for inflation. We know other people also (including my wife) who have taken similar downward spirals in paycheck area. Why is this? Is it just the way life turns out? Poor choices on our parts? A conspiracy to keep us perpetually near the poverty line?
My belief is that people of conscience have more important things to do in life than be a slave to the almighty dollar. All of us could have kept higher paying jobs, and even applied for other higher paying jobs, but in all of our cases we decided other things were more important (families, mental health, personal time, etc). We've all known some dynamic, intelligent, incredible people who never seem to be independently wealthy, but they've got heart.
In my own case, my past 3 positions have paid progressively worse. I'm fine with this. I felt called to do each of these jobs, and they've been very fulfilling for what I've needed at the time. We must ask ourselves if we live to work, or do we work to live? That's an incredibly important distinction. I am now in a position that pays terribly considering the responsibilities involved, but it pays enough to keep the bill collectors off our backs, and I get to make a difference in someone's life every single day. This means I sleep soundly, and I wake up in the morning knowing that I get to make a difference again. This counts for something (and the fact that my office door is literally 20 feet from a chapel counts for some too). So I am content. I don't plan to hold this job forever, but I do plan to hold it through some trials and tribulations that are on the horizon. And perhaps keep it for some years following that, until my sons are older.
I work to live, not the other way around. And to that end, the work I'm doing now is ideal, and I'm grateful for it. I feel fulfilled, alive, and give thanks for my blessings. Things could be much, much worse with the current economy.
-H-
This is not to say that we've been demoted so to speak, but that we make significantly less money now than we have in the past. The distant past, which gets pretty depressing when you adjust for inflation. We know other people also (including my wife) who have taken similar downward spirals in paycheck area. Why is this? Is it just the way life turns out? Poor choices on our parts? A conspiracy to keep us perpetually near the poverty line?
My belief is that people of conscience have more important things to do in life than be a slave to the almighty dollar. All of us could have kept higher paying jobs, and even applied for other higher paying jobs, but in all of our cases we decided other things were more important (families, mental health, personal time, etc). We've all known some dynamic, intelligent, incredible people who never seem to be independently wealthy, but they've got heart.
In my own case, my past 3 positions have paid progressively worse. I'm fine with this. I felt called to do each of these jobs, and they've been very fulfilling for what I've needed at the time. We must ask ourselves if we live to work, or do we work to live? That's an incredibly important distinction. I am now in a position that pays terribly considering the responsibilities involved, but it pays enough to keep the bill collectors off our backs, and I get to make a difference in someone's life every single day. This means I sleep soundly, and I wake up in the morning knowing that I get to make a difference again. This counts for something (and the fact that my office door is literally 20 feet from a chapel counts for some too). So I am content. I don't plan to hold this job forever, but I do plan to hold it through some trials and tribulations that are on the horizon. And perhaps keep it for some years following that, until my sons are older.
I work to live, not the other way around. And to that end, the work I'm doing now is ideal, and I'm grateful for it. I feel fulfilled, alive, and give thanks for my blessings. Things could be much, much worse with the current economy.
-H-
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