My Potential Dream Job...s

Hi friends! I'm still reading Quitter and still forcing you to read about me reading Quitter, but this may be the last day because no one seems especially interested. Which is fine. There are other things going on in my life aside from the book I'm ready/enjoying, so I can go back to that. But first you must muddle through a blog about the chapter that I'm sure will be my favorite of the whole book--Chapter 2, which is about figuring out what your dream is. YES! Thank you Jon Acuff! This is what I needed help with!

He starts right out of the gate saying "We don't know what we want, but this isn't it." Story of my life. I don't know what I want to do or what I was meant to do, but I know being a receptionist is surely not it. I did not accumulate 13K in student loans just so I could sit behind a desk and answer a phone all day. Additionally, I am not meant for a sedenary job/lifestyle. Though I will quickly admit that I'm lazy, time passes faster when you're busy. And I prefer to be busy moving around, rather than sitting in one spot doing the same things over and over and over. You with me?

So I got my highlight button ready on my kindle and absorbed the entire 2nd chapter. And, thankfully, I believe I have narrowed down my dream job to three, which may or may not be subject to change and may even be able to be combined. We'll see. In the book, Acuff states that he thinks your dream job is not something new that you are shocked to find that you love, but something that you have loved before. He calls it "a process of recovery." [Can I just insert here that I feel like he's talking directly to me as I read the book? I realize that's the point, but he's saying things that I think I should've thought of but haven't, and certainly things I should consider.]

I obviously can't tell you all that he says in this chapter or in this book. For one there are copyright laws and for two I think you should read it yourself. I will tell you the questions he has caused me to ask myself and the answers I have come to thus far...please note that I am still reading (this is just chapter 2 after all), still praying, and still working very hard to remember past moments that I have loved.

In trying to help his readers figure out their dreams, he gives us a few questions to ask ourselves. The one that stood out most to me was the first one, "What do I love enough to do for free?" I answered this question 3 different ways.

The first brought me to blogging and more specifically writing. I blog regularly (usually...this is the 4th day in a row!) and I love doing it. I get started and just go. Rarely do I even have to wonder what I will write about because it just starts flowing. I love writing. I have loved it as long as I can remember. As a child I wrote plays, some really terrible poetry and at least 2938472938 different versions of "A Day in the Life of Hannah Henderson." Thanks to my parents for always suggesting that I write the very same story over and over again. Could I make this a career? Maybe. Though my creativity for story-telling is quite limited. I am actually still writing "A Day in the Life of Hannah (Henderson) Lipsey." But practice makes perfect, so maybe someday.

The next thing I thought of was volunteering/"interning" at the hospital when I was in high school. Unfortunately those days were spent just watching things happen...and cuddling babies, who doesn't love cuddling newborns? But if somebody would've asked if I wanted to clean up/suction a baby straight out of the birth canal I definitely would've said yes. I've already mentioned I'm obsessed with pregnancy/child birth. We wore scrubs (and I've already expressed how much I love those), watched circumcisions, gave babies their first ever sponge baths, and watched deliveries. Do I think my love of watching a cesarean section makes nursing my dream job? I don't know. But maybe!  Could somebody guarantee me a position in L&D?? That might just make up my mind.

The last thing I thought of was volunteering/mission work. You know: loving on kids, feeding hungry people, cleaning up messes, giving support...that kind of volunteering. Non-profit volunteering. Taking care of other people who need me warms my heart and makes me feel like I'm living with a purpose. I love loving. It's what I was made for. Know of any non-profit jobs that pay enough for me to afford having my own children? Yea, me neither.

The good news is that I think all of the above could be combined. What is nursing if not taking care of and loving on other people? And plenty of nurses write too--I know because I've read a ton of books on nursing that I found on Amazon.

Either way, I feel like I'm making progress and that's all I can ask for. Want to figure out your dreams? Buy the book! Or, for a fun weekend in Nashville with yours truly, sign up for the Quitter Conference July 30th! See my last post for more info. Keep praying with me please!
XOXO,
Hannah