Question:I am a journalism major and was wondering if you could answer a question for me. How or what made you certain that you were doing the job that you love?
Lily: Take a hobby and make it work for you. My mom used to say that you would know you loved your job when you stopped seeing it as a job — and saw it as life. If you dread getting up and dragging your behind into that cubicle, then you're probably not doing something that you love. You can always take a personality test to see what kind of job you are cut out for. No harm in trying a few things — "suerte!" (Good luck!)
Danny: No matter what I did or how I did it, my purpose in life and the passion to see it through always showed me the way. Look no further than Lily, Catherine and me — none of us is a degreed journalist, but we share a life purpose in our desire to help others.
What you love to do is the activity that makes you happiest and the actions that bring you satisfaction. Look for the obvious signs such as smiles, laughter, joy and a desire to repeat it. Find these moments in your memories and follow their lead.
How your passion translates into a career depends on you. You would not think a sales guy like me has the kind of passion I describe above, but the faith and belief in what I sell are where my own purpose and sense of value merge into something that I love to do. This column has given me an additional opportunity to further tap into that purpose and feed a desire to help others through advice. Best of luck finding your way.
Catherine: I once met a former professional football player who started a cookie-making business. Talk about "and now for something completely different!" It's also a good example of how your passions will continue to develop for the rest of your life, as will your idea of an ideal job.
There is no perfect job, and there is no way to be sure that one career will always make you happy. Take life one day at a time and pursue your current interests. Things have an interesting way of falling into place, usually in a much better way than you could ever have planned.
We want your questions! Consejos is a bicultural advice column that focuses on relationships, identity and workplace issues. Contact consejos@ dallasnews.com or Consejos, The Dallas Morning News, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265. You can also visit www.dallasnews.com/consejos to access previous columns and to comment on the Consejos blog. © The Dallas Morning News. Dist. by Universal Press Syndicate