I’m learning a living. Every day I wake up and marvel at the work that I get to do every day. I look forward to jumping into my work day but, life wasn’t always like that. I’m not the lucky one, I’ve had to learn the hard way to get here. Once upon a time, I got migraines on Sunday nights, dreading Monday mornings. I despised waking up if it wasn’t the weekend. It was hell.
It helps to love what you do
Twenty years ago, all I wanted to do was build websites. To do that, I went to college and managed to figure out how. I’m not sure if diving into the computer industry was necessarily my passion as much as it was me responding to the job market demand. Back then, I had no idea what I wanted to do but, but I had to do something. That said, without a doubt, writing for a living was the farthest thing from my mind.
As my career as a software developer wore on, I began to wear out along with it. I never hated what I did, but I certainly didn’t love it enough to immerse myself in it. My career required me to learn new technologies but that stressed me out a lot more than it piqued my curiosity. I did the job for a paycheck, but it was costing me my soul.
I stopped writing code, then wrote words instead
Somewhere along my journey, I took up writing. This blog was the foundation that I built my new career on, and now, after four years and over 400 blog posts later, I am now a full-time paid writer. I’m so grateful to the company that I work for (Dovico), for allowing me time and patience to explore my passions and apply them to what we do. As our CEO, Yves Doucet would say: “Find me your passion and I will find a
To some of you, writing blog posts may seem like a light-duty, artsy-fartsy type job. But, I’m here to tell you, I’ve never worked as hard as I do for the career that I now have. I’m never off duty; my job is living my life in constant creativity mode. I sweat a lot, I sacrifice a lot, and I change a lot. Just so I can write.
For good output, I need great input
Just like my computer programming days, you can only get output if you can get input. Apps are utterly useless if nothing goes into them, so, as a writer, I’m in constant in search of information to share and questions to answer. To be a knowledgeable writer capable of producing decent “output,” I need to learn a lot of input. I read at least 3 hours a day (and more if I have the time). I watch a lot of videos and podcasts of exciting people who have interesting things to talk about. I take a lot of notes. It’s impossible to fit all of this into an 8 hour work day. My job is literally performed around the clock.
I work 24 hours a day learning a living and I love it!
What makes me certain that I’ve chosen the right career path is that I enjoy working at any time of the day. I read when I wake up, I read before going to bed. I write every part of the
Even after four years of experience, I’m still a very junior writer. So the more I can learn and write, the quicker I can catch up and become someone worth reading. I’m no different than the kid who fires thousands of hockey pucks at his garage door every day and hopes to make it to the NHL. I’m just a little older and right now, I miss a lot of shots!
I am not defined by my work, but I am working to define who I am
My career doesn’t define me, but what I do for my work positively affects everything I do. Here are few of the things that I do every day to learn a living:
I exercise to think clearly; I often get my best ideas after a good workout or run.
I eat as clean as possible, so my mind isn’t clouded with sugar and the lack of essential nutrients.
I prioritize sleep so that I can concentrate and rest without irritable stress.
I’ve recently abandoned social media so that I have more time to read, write and exercise. Not to mention, I’ve freed my mind from the stresses of social validation.
My life is a continual feedback loop, where everything I do ties into the next and the end product is what you are reading today. Nothing in my life is done without a purpose. The purpose to learn and to share.
I’m living the dream
I still have a long way to go with my writing career and who knows where it will take me. And quite frankly, I don’t put much worry in that. I enjoy the journey of learning, and there is nothing more valuable in life than knowledge. Every minute of my day is spent working towards the process of becoming a “real” writer, and I know that one day, it will all come together. Come to think about it, for me, it comes together every day.
I am learning a living, and I couldn’t be happier.
Are you living the dream? Or are you living to dream?
Do you love Monday mornings?
Please leave a comment if you love what you do for a living. How did you get to that point in your life?