Choosing between a Lucrative Career and A Happy Life

Eliza M. Dizon

The author is MT-I at Benigno S. Aquino National High School, Concepcion,

Tarlac

While it is true that having a lucrative career may mean having the means to support one’s need and having extra money to spend for things that we enjoy in life, the real question is, do we really need to choose between the two? I think having a happy life does not depend whether you have a successful career or not, because success also depends on one’s perspective. For me success is always relative to contentment. I may have a high paying job, but if I am not contented then I cannot consider myself successful thus I cannot consider myself happy. I think everything in this world is about balance. Why choose when you can have both? Cliché as it may sound but it is true that if we love our job then it will almost feel like not having to go to work at all. It is all about appreciation. It is about what we value in life. There was a time in my life that I was given a chance to earn a lot of money when I was employed in a government agency as a contract of service personnel. If I stayed in that job, it was easy for me to buy a car and a house but I had to rethink of my values and my beliefs. I may have earned a lot of money with that job but I will not be able to consider myself as successful because it is not what makes me happy. Everything is about balance. I think people not need sacrifice having a happy life just to have successful and high paying career. It is about working hard to attain your goal while enjoying life itself. Many people might think that it is impossible but I can say that I am able to enjoy the life that I have today despite of having to work really hard in my current job. The secret is appreciating whatever you have today. Try to find the reason to be happy in the things that you do. There are times that my work makes me feel exhausted and stressed but then I stop and ask myself, why am I in this job? Then I realize the answer, I am doing this because government service is my passion. I always think that somehow I am able to contribute to our government by doing my job right.

At the end of the day, you do not always have sacrifice having a happy life to have a successful and lucrative career. It is a choice of being happy with whatever you have in the present. They say that happiness is a choice and I believe that. Happiness is not the absence of pain, sadness and disappointment. It is choosing to find purpose and worth to everything that you do. You need to appreciate what you have and dream on what you want next in order to grow. Choose to be happy and successful, choose to learn and choose to grow. Always choose to be better.

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