I Agree With Confucius...To An Extent.

Confucius once said, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." I've read that quote over and over and over on my social media streams. Do I agree with Confucius? To an extent, yes. But, there's a smidgen of that quote that I would dispute. I'm a realist. I don't believe that you can love your job 100% all of the time. There are always going to be portions of your career that you dread or not exactly like. 

I'm a walking example. I've skipped down many career paths in my lifetime.

At the age of 19, I got my degree in machine and tool technology. I was the only woman in the classes. I had to work harder...and I did. I earned the respect from the instructors and the rest of the class. I was one of the first ones to land a job.

But, the job wasn't so great. I got a position in the Teflon department. That's where a lot of the women worked. The only time I was able to apply my skill was when they were short-handed in the machinery area.

In my early 20's, I went to Cosmetology school. Again, I excelled. I won first place in most of the long hair and nail art design contests. I made the front page of our local newspaper. I took extra classes for ethnic hair and barbering.

I landed a job at a couple of salons in the few years to follow. But, the job itself was nothing like what I had experienced at school or during my internship.

In my late 20's, I worked in city group homes as a residential counselor. I went through all of the training and classes. I loved working with the youth and young adults.

What I didn't like were the politics and lack of funding. Too many of those youth were sent home to the same home environments they had been removed from a few years prior. Nothing had changed. But, they were either close to being aged out of the system or their situation was no longer urgent.

During that time, I also became a tutor in the area of academic and independent living tutoring. I just recently retired from those services.

If you've kept up with the blog, you'll know why. 

Over 10 years ago, I became a Work at Home Dog Mom. Remote employee. I've worked for major media companies and low and high key entrepreneurs. I've managed sites, handled all things social media, specialized in SEO, and I've been a ghostwriter for many.

I retired from a few of those services as well.

In the here and now, I'm still a Work at Home Dog Mom. I'm in the process of becoming a pet blogger and ambassador and a DIY Dog Mom Project enthusiast.

Even now, as much as I love and adore what I'm doing, there are certain things that I'll never fully love...

Getting up at 3:30 - 4:00 a.m. regardless of how tired I am.

Taking photos of the DIY Dog Mom Projects we've created and posting them online.

Having to virtually chase after people who haven't paid for their orders.

We've since made changes to prevent this.

Having to blast the air conditioners to keep the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Project Workshop dry and cool.

Due to the numerous heatwaves and exceptionally high humidity, our electric bill has gone from $89 a month to $170. 

People not being considerate of the fact that I work at home and I need a certain level of quiet throughout the day.

The misconceptions about Work at Home Dog Moms.

The biggest misconception is that what I do isn't really work.

I'm also working on a couple of books that I hope to publish next year.

At the end of the day, I'm where I want to be doing what I love to do.

It's not glamorous or easy. We're not certainly rich.

But, the positive far outweighs the negative.