Spend life working in somthin u are good at /that you enjoy?

amother

Thu, Dec 31 2020, 4:26 pm

I was just watching something, and the yehudi woman said she believes everyone
should spend their life working with their talents and love their work so that they are not really working and they feel a sense of purpose.....I also heard a rav say this in a different shiur

how many ppl can actually work in a field they love and use their talents?

I know many ppl who work in x and have to work for $ even though
they are talented in y....I also know some ppl who dont have accesss to $ to nurture their talents...

such as music...if you are good at music, you still may need to take music lessons/buy instruments which are not regularly part of yehudi yeshivas while some public schools cater
to artists etc. for yeshivas, these are all extra curricular that need to be paid for...

I personally, work out of necessity only for $, I grew up very poor and
didnt have $ to nurture my artistic side/talents...but also in yehudi world, there are
limited things to do in these fields....

do most ppl really get to work in jobs that are only enjoyable/what they are talented in...?

how does someone nurture a musical talent if they cant afford lessons? my child

is talented in music but tried learning from youtube but needs a teacher...we pay a lot of tuition but most yehudi schools dont offer music classes ....

what do u think? what has your experience been?

amother

Maroon

Thu, Dec 31 2020, 4:44 pm

If someone is truly musical, they can get pretty far just playing around on an instrument on their own. Some people also barter for lessons, such as tutoring the music teacher's child in a certain subject in exchange for music lessons.

I don't think someone necessarily needs to use talents in such a direct way as a means to earning a living. For example if someone is very musical or artistic, there are ways to incorporate those skills into their work even if they aren't actually professional musicians or artists. Everyone has certain strengths, and I think the idea is to dedicate your life to utilizing those strengths. Not just art, music, writing... A strength can be something like organized, detail oriented, empathetic, calming.

amother

Thu, Dec 31 2020, 5:04 pm

LovesHashem wrote:

I don't think I could ever work in something I don't love.

but, some ppl are in desperate situations such as what if you couldnt pay rent bec your dh has a job earning 15 an hr and if you didnt work (in a a job you dont love) you cant send your kids to yeshiva and pay rent, etc....my relative quit her job and ended up living by her inlaws......

amother

Babyblue

Thu, Dec 31 2020, 5:11 pm

LovesHashem wrote:

I don't think I could ever work in something I don't love.

What do u do?

I only discovered over the past couple of years that I love flowers. & doing gardening.
I know I can peruse that, but I guess I’m
So lazy. ESP now with Covid, lockdown etc.

amother

Thu, Dec 31 2020, 5:15 pm

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

bartering is a great idea....also I do disagree that yes, some musical children need to nurture their talents and take classes...

the part about strengths is making a great point, but we need to be organized, detail oriented, etc. in many things in life such as in school as students, in most jobs...and when we run our homes, so ......

if im great at organizing, etc. how do I dedicate my life to using that strength? yes its a part of my life in my job and my house duties, but there is a big part of my work(job for $) that involves things im not talented in and I dont love...so??

amother

Navy

Thu, Dec 31 2020, 5:35 pm

I’m a nurse practitioner and absolutely love what I do. I work three days and I truly wake up in the am that I work and I’m excited to go. I’ve been doing this for 15 years so it’s not new. It’s really important to love what you do and it doesn’t mean something out of the box like art of music. You can find a passion in a “regular “ field

amother

Amber

Thu, Dec 31 2020, 5:36 pm

I’m grappling with this same thing. For the past 20 years I have been selling out for the money - earning nicely, paying tuition, saving for retirement. But it’s such a shame that I never really liked any of my jobs or excelled at them. Makes me sad to waste my many talents on office work.

zaq

Fri, Jan 01 2021, 12:23 am

amother [ Amber ] wrote:

You don't have to waste your talents. There is always scope for using your talents outside of the realm of earning a living.

A friend of mine is a dental hygienist, but she's 'really' a singer. Not that she isn't passionate about dental hygiene--she is, and she's great at it--but music was her first love. She performs at hospitals, nursing homes, children's shelters and the like and is a member of a local light-opera group. Another friend of mine is a programmer who grows gorgeous flowers and plants that she often donates to be raffled off for charity. (She told me once that she would have liked to pursue horticulture as a profession but didn't believe it would pay the rent.) Dh 's math professor friend does magic shows and standup comedy, sometimes for charity and sometimes paying gigs at nightclubs.

singleagain

Fri, Jan 01 2021, 7:31 am

I've heard the get a job you love idea... But I've also heard. Don't. Don't bc working in something you love all the time might cause you to think about the thing you love as work. And then you won't love it anymore.

Just food for thought.

PinkFridge

Fri, Jan 01 2021, 9:24 am

amother [ Amber ] wrote:

Yes, love what you'll do and you'll never have to work a day in your life. But not everyone can say that. And not everyone loves every minute of their 9-5.
You've been earning well and honorably for the last 20 years, and using the money for good things. Please don't let yourself overthink this. And midlife, which you may not be too far from, is the time that's ripe to overthink and reflect. Don't beat yourself up.
I like the idea of finding outlets. If you have time and energy, maybe you can channel your talents to communal work. Of course, maybe you're one of those people who will go back to school or otherwise reinvent herself and make more money with more satisfaction etc. But if you're not, you and your life are not lesser and you have used your kochos well.

lk1234

Fri, Jan 01 2021, 10:02 am

I used to feel down about doing something that I am passionless about. B"H at this point I am settled with my life and realize I just want money. Whatever pays me the most is where I'm at as unmagical as that sounds. Smile

I love to read and research various topics. I love history, learning about money and self help. I can't figure out a way to make money through those interests so I focus on what makes me money and leave hobbies for days off and weekends.