would you choose career or lifestyle

would you die satisfied?

what makes you happy?

are you taking time to be happy everyday by doing the things you like to do?

are you stuck in a place where you don't have time to figure out what makes you happy?

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Twu and i had a decent talk last night..I'm weighing the options of starting up school now, and working part time, or just going back into a nursing job and re-adjusting to the work force. A job in nursing right now, in the area I want, and the only one I'd settle for, would probably require working nights. Not easy on anyone. But for ten years (or more) what has kept me from working in the area of nursing that interests me most is that I have refused to work graveyard shift.

Both scenarios have their pros and cons, we've talked about how each situation would affect lifestyle. Lifestyle is very important. It deserves it's own thread.

There are people who choose a career, and love the career, and work hard at it, and enjoy the career. Maybe on weekends they enjoy a hobby or their kids. They are happy. There are people who have lifestyles. They choose to live a certain way or in a certain place. The lifestyle comes first and they are willing to work just about any job so that they can maintain the lifestyle. A sailor chooses to live on his boat so he can sail every day, he chooses to live on the coast line so he can park his boat and have easy access to sailing every day. It fills his soul completely. It makes him happy. Sometimes he goes into town and works a part time shift cleaning bathrooms so that he can afford gas and food for the boat.

Both the career person and the lifestyle person are happy. Of course there is overlap..a doctor can live on a boat. A sailor can have a house that's inland.

Career person sometimes teases lifestyle person and says hey..if you don't work hard enough you won't have enough money to retire on. You can't sail your whole life. But career person is happy because he has a good 401k and he enjoys his weekend activities.

Sailor says to career person..hey, I am so happy today with the water and I have all I need. When I die I can't take that money with me. I think about my future and put away what I can but I live today and in the now. I am very happy.

There's no right or wrong, or the right path, wrong path. Only choices and consequences.

Which one are you?????