You Don’t Have to Start Over
It’s not something that I’d ever thought I would do. If you think about it, the coolest pop-culture reference to librarians is the Pagemaster, but most of what comes to mind is stuffy old ladies who like to say Shhhhhhh! It’s not every little boy’s dream job, but I like it.
Working in the library gives me access to all kinds of information on a daily basis. And I get to learn new things all the time as I help patrons to find what they’re looking for. A huge part of my job in the library is working with language, and the skills that I developed with language while working there have lent themselves well to becoming a better writer.
I don’t plan on working in a library forever. But that doesn’t mean that my time working there has been wasted. On the contrary, if I pause to think about it, there is a lot I’ve learned and practiced in my time there that helps support my passions.
This is the big myth of our day: That you have to start over to start pursuing your dreams.
When we think of someone pursuing their dreams we picture the guy from the movie who suddenly gives his boss the middle-finger and walks out the door and does something amazing. We think of the person who sells everything and starts over in another city or another country. We think of someone who writes off their whole lives up to that point and starts over again.
To live like that is sad, though. To abandon all of your previous experience and learning is a waste. What we often don’t realize is that what we’ve learned along the way to deciding to pursue our dreams can help us on that journey.
The bad boss you have is a lesson in how to not lead. The experience you have in that sales job you hate can help you to make money for yourself doing what you love. The skills you learned in that club, or that job, or that organization, can help you achieve your dreams.
I never imagined I would work in a library, ever. But I’m glad that I have. I never liked working for a mean-spirited boss (not this job, my librarian is amazing!) but I learned a lot of patience and a lot of leadership skills by doing so. I’ve always wanted to be a writer and a communicator, I just never imagined how all those other things would help me get there.
What are you doing that you feel like writing off to pursue your dreams? How could you look at the situation differently to see how it can benefit you on your journey?
