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Happy as a Proverbial Clam: why I choose contentment over career

Ambition. It's a highly prized quality in our modern world, and while it can be a very helpful and rewarding one, it's not always the road to a more general state than happiness: contentment. That's what I would like to discuss in this post. Seneca, a Greek philosopher, (to paraphrase to the nth degree) stated that man consistently seeks more leisure time, to enjoy life and moreover, to be content. And yet we find ourselves prioritising a busy lifestyle over our own wellbeing. Why? Can we choose not to? Of course. 


I quite often have people ask me why I chose to "stand in a shop" when I have a degree under my belt and a lot of life experience considering I'm only 24 (nearly). The truth is: 1) I love my job: the people are great, clothes are my thing and honestly talking to such a variety of people makes my day! and b) I don't want a career where I'm simply running its treadmill to earn money to buy things I don't need so that I can kid myself that I have it all. 

Of course, you can have a stressful day-job and enjoy it. Passion can override stress and make each day enjoyable, but unfortunately many people do just do what they do for money (this is only my opinion on the situation and there's nothing wrong with pursuing wealth and living a comfortable lifestyle, but when your job actually makes you more stressed than happy, then that's a problem). 


Have you truly ever asked yourself whether you're content at work? We hear these stories about high-flying businessmen quitting their day jobs to work in a grocery store (well, one particular man did do this), and wonder are they mad? I would say they are the most sensible people out there. We are worth more than our place as cogs in the capitalist machine. 

Life goes exceptionally quickly, and even quicker with each passing year, as I've discovered, so why not prioritise contentment over career? Enjoy time with friends, family, partners and strangers. There's no worth in being busy if that isn't making you happy. Certainly, it's not always as easy as saying 'find a job that makes you happy!' and immediately finding one, but vocations can be crafted from talents and passions. Self-employment, entrepreneurship: these are options also. Life has no blueprint, and that's the beauty of it. 

I digress. I'm sorry that this was a rather rant-esque post, I feel very passionate about this subject! I hope you are all well and hopefully I can start writing here again soon! 

Lou 

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