Great article. I know a lot of people can relate, myself included. I went through a very similar experience. I pulled unemployment throughout the pandemic. Started writing articles and music like never before and actually started making money at it. Finally, my passions and financial needs can meet. But the honeymoon phase of that experience is long gone.

I'd like to make a point here and I don't want it to sound like I'm being insensitive or just vying for readership with a long comment. But what you and I experienced is a great jumping off point for a much larger topic.

Is 'who we are' defined by what we do for a living? Or is what we do in our spare time, or what we strive for in life, our long term goals of passion, if you will. If our only goal in life is to survive long enough to die by working enough hours to pay for bigger and better things that keep us alive and distracted, why should we ever even get out of bed? I know some pretty happy homeless people. (true story)

Just as a quick backstory, I worked as a hardware tech for a pharmaceutical software company for 12 years, then learned to code and got a job that payed 20k/year more than I was making. Lost that job during the pandemic and then lived a 'financially worry free life' pulling unemployment where I could pursue anything I damn well pleased. I actually made a lot less during this period but it was definitely enough. Now I deliver pizza for Domino's, which, actually nets close to 50k/year. (It's a very busy Domino's)

My point, my take, whatever you want to call this, is this. We don't need to put pressure on ourselves to strive for high paying jobs with impressive titles. Because at the end of the day, like you said, we live for the weekend anyways. I'm sure you're like me, someone who gives their all no matter what job they are working. But it doesn't matter if its setting up servers for an online pharmacy that takes in millions of dollars a day or delivering pizza to a stoner at midnight who tips a dollar. At the end of the day, those are not your passions. Those are things you do to make money. Not just your money either, money for other people who may have their own high reaching long term passion goals.

Our career/job shouldn't necessarily be a long term goal. We should strive for good ones, sure. And we should work the shit out of them. But we should budget our lives so that our passions are our true focus.

I used to work 6 days a week and spend time on day offs learning new things for work. I loved to code, but I was coding for someone else. Someone elses dream job. Now I work 4 days a week and I've been slowly building a recording studio where I spend 3 days a week creating music and writing articles. Not for anyone else. Not for money. It is completely separate from those ideals and goals.

Because if we can put that much energy into our jobs and careers for other people, why can't we do it for ourselves? We don't have to impress anyone. We don't have to make any money at it. We should literally strive for our own passions in life simply because they are our own passions. Find something to love. And do it as much as possible. Sounds cheesy and obvious but most people don't even have a plan to begin doing something like this. But this isn't even a long term goal type of thing. Anyone can do this. Right away. Right now.

Thanks for the article. Thanks for creating and being a passionate human being. And thanks for indulging in this long ass damn comment. I wish you the very best in your new career and hope it brings you closer to your true passions.