~~okieOLIO~~

i have always maintained that i don’t need a lot of money and i never want to take a job just for a handsome paycheck. i would much rather do something that i enjoy and work at something i believe in. i just cannot fake it, and i have not been willing to get a “job” when i could get paid to pursue a passion. i am not the kind of person that sees your 8-5 as something that is just a necessity that you endure to provide for the remaining hours of your life. the people who do view their work obligation in this way are very happy to grind out 40+ hours a week in order to fund their personal life. that’s fine, it’s just not me.

so this philosophy has led me to jump from gig to gig, working in missions, language, and teaching, much to the chagrin of my husband who sees the potential $$ that i could earn, seeing as i do have a respectable college degree. (he is one of the people who views work from the “other” perspective. ☺) and i have been quite content until lately. what i realized is that while i don’t value money over other important things in my life, some of the things i hold at the top of my priority list require those dollars i try to disregard.

fostering relationships demands time together, which can involve travel and all the expenses associated with that, and at least usually entails a meal or drink or tickets to an event. memories that are created during these times are priceless. being involved in missions or charities or virtuous causes almost always calls for funds, and having the ability to donate your own resources rather than raising support is much more gratifying (for me). health and living naturally are also something i consider very important for myself and those i love. i have witnessed first hand what you risk when you don’t pay attention to natural well-being, and have experienced the benefits of being proactive in these areas. the problem is, eating and sleeping and cleaning and living and healing naturally is expensive. sad, but true.

these are just a few examples, but i could recognize the pattern threaded throughout the majority of the things i care about. which led me to finally accept a “real” job that will help provide for those things. lucky me, i also found a position in which i feel i can use my abilities and feel good about the work i do, and as an added bonus i really believe i can help people and their businesses. so now i can officially say i am an “advertising consultant,” which causes me to wince and my husband to puff up with pride. but that’s not what’s really important.