What I Didn't Want to Do

For more than a decade, I debated and wrestled with the proverbial question:  What am I going to do?  At some point in our lives, I believe we all struggle with questions about college, work and job prospects, marriage and kids, and what to do with ourselves. As the questions go unanswered, it can be quite daunting to confront them. I had absolutely no idea.  As a teen, all I wanted to do was play and enjoy the years of high school without a care in the world.  It was all about friends, surfing and skiing.

As I graduated from high school and entered college, my mind still did somersaults around the same old question:  What am I going to do?  I couldn’t answer it.  Eventually, my quandary began to unravel and the answer began to reveal itself.  I flipped the question and began asking: What don't I want to do?  The overwhelming task of self-discovery became much easier to realize as I could define my answers and formulate job descriptions of interest.  For me, my answers included:

·       I didn’t want to work behind a desk.

·       I didn’t want to work 8 to 5 every day.

·       I didn’t want to wear a suit and tie to work.

·       I didn’t want to work locked up inside.

With the above, I was able to organize a list of jobs that fit my “wants.”  As a result, I was rewarded with a great job and satisfying career.  By simply asking the antonym of the initial question, I was able to formulate a tangible equation to a life puzzle in which I couldn’t solve.  It can be difficult to find the answers to some of life’s many questions, though with strength, some will, and persistence, it is possible to unravel life’s mysteries and find one’s version of success.   

Jim Caldwell

Jim is a retired fireman who is getting after it and creating his version of a great life.  He believes that if one feeds the mind and body with clean, healthy living, good decisions will abound, leading to that great life.