Are you currently in pursuit of what makes you happy? Do you follow your heart or brain? Why or why not?
Asked by
Tbag (
3549
)
December 30th, 2022
I suppose we are all seeking what makes us happy, and it isn’t always the easiest thing to do. I have a really good job and get paid well, but I feel like I’m on autopilot.
My brain is at war with my heart. Here’s a typical 1:00AM conversation between the two:
Heart: You do realize that in order for Tbag to be happy you need to quit your job, regardless of the pay.
Brain: It’s a permanent position with stable income and retirement benefits. Leaving would mean more than three years of hardwork. Let it go.
Heart: True. Sometimes following your intuition to be happy means ignoring being rational.
Brain: What if it doesn’t work out, then what?
Heart: Then Tbag can contently say that he tried.
When it comes to a tough decision to make, do you follow the pragmatic and logical path? Or do you follow your intuition and the riskier path?
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9 Answers
I usually stall for more time, and my choice gets made for me or it gets too late to decide.
I would add to suggest looking for a third option if brain, and heart can’t decide. If both decisions are unfavorable.
For me, when it comes to the job (when I was working), I tried to deal with it on a day to day basis. I did have a time when I was looking for another job, but I was a civil servant so I used the test system to try to move up (and get away from the boss I had that i hated). Sometimes, just try to deal with what you have and sometimes the hand of fate will intervene.
In the past, when I was younger and had no child to support, I was more flippant about quitting jobs to be happy, and that worked and it worked well, but also at that time, jobs were easier to come by.
The title question is terrifying. Your details bring it down to earth.
I have a state job that has given me reasons to want a change, but I absolutely will not leave state employment for 3 more years to secure my pension. My pursuit of happiness is reasonable.
In a question like the one you posed, I tend to do a little soul searching. VERY few people are working the jobs they love and are getting rich at it. Some do. But you can have a job that makes you lots of money and which isn’t anywhere near your dream or you can have a job you absolutely love but not make near the money you can make elsewhere. Most people opt for the higher paying job with the realization that the money allows them to live in a way they DO like.
A few years back I got laid off from a job in a field in which I worked for 30+ years. I had made lots of money over the years. But when I got laid off, I realized that while not knowing where my next paycheck would come from or how I would provide for my family, I was less stressed than I had been almost every day of my life at my old jobs. So I gave up that field even though there were viable options for me to stay in it. I moved on to a different field entirely and found that while I made less money I was completely more relaxed.
@seawulf575 I’m glad things settled out and and you’re happier.
My brain. I need the money.
Like a man chasing his shadow, chasing happiness is an endless pursuit.
Happiness is not something to be chased…its something to be realized. The realization is you’re happy when you decide to be happy.
Unfortunately we’ve bought into the belief that things, people or circumstances “make” us happy. This inevitably leaves us wondering why we’re often so miserable.
We seek happiness everywhere but within.
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