Whenever you meet someone new, this seems to be one of the first questions we ask one another – “What do you do?”. What we’re typically asking is what someone’s job or career is (I don’t even need to mention it, but stay at home mums and dads obviously included), or how they pay the bills. A number of weeks ago, Jonathan Goodman wrote a Facebook post summing up the greatest difference between his stint living in Hawaii and his life back in Toronto and for whatever reason, I can’t get it out of my head.

Jon said, “Perhaps the most notable difference between Toronto and Hawaii can be summed up in one way: Upon meeting somebody new in Toronto, I’m asked what I do for a living. In Hawaii, I was asked what I love to do“.

It made me think. Are what I’m doing for a living and what I love to do, the same thing? Is there a disconnect? Is it possible for those things to be one and the same?

If I were to ask you what you do, would you respond the same as if I asked you what you love to do? I know for many people, there would be very different responses to these questions. Truly loving what you do for a living doesn’t seem to be the norm in our world, which is especially apparent when I’m outside my trainer-friend bubble, that is my life :). I think, for most, the goal is to feel like you never have to work a day in your life.

What do I do? If you were to ask me this question, I would tell you that I’m a personal trainer who works with a largely female clientele, specializing in female training, and pre and post-natal fitness. This is what I do for a living, to survive, to pay the bills, to pay off the student loans (that will never seem to end), etc.

What do I love to do? In relation to my “living”, I love to empower women to believe that they are everything they need to be right now, using fitness, nutrition and health education as a vehicle to teach those lessons. This is the stuff I preach about all day long and never get bored of. More broadly, I love to self-educate, be active, feel artistic, move, eat, drink wine, go to dinner parties, be with family and friends – plus a whole bunch of other stuff that we can talk about over a glass of red anytime you want ;).

Are those answers saying the same thing? Mostly. I know I’m one of the lucky ones. I really do, do what I love for my living. I could work all the time (and somedays it feels like I do ;)), because it’s really not “work”. Of course, there are days and times when it’s not exactly what I want to be doing, and there’s stress and I’m tired (and really hungry), but that stuff is small compared to the the amount of time I enjoy what I do.

Mom’s (Mostly) Always Right

Thinking of all of this brings me right back to something I heard my mom preach over and over (and over again) in high school and university. Lucky for us, my mom is a career counsellor and is bang on at giving career advice and direction. My mom would offer guidance to my sister and I, and also every one of my friends that came to my mom because they didn’t know what the hell they were going to be when they grew up. “What do you like to do?”, she would ask. “What are your hobbies and how can you turn that into a career?”, would always be the main message of her response. For me, this still resonates and is something I think about every time I’m dreaming about business and my career. The message from my mom was always that your career should be based on your loves.

I don’t think that people often (ever?) fall into a career/life that you love without creating it with intention. Like anything, it takes effort and planning. For me, Jon’s message was a great reminder of what my mom always said. My ultimate goal, is to keep creating my reality to do what I love and love what I do, however that changes and whatever that morphs into. The great reminder from all of this, is to keep working towards doing more of the love and less of the suck. Then doing what we love for our living becomes seamless.

So, where are you at? Are you working from home, working in an office, raising your sweet babies? What do YOU do? Is this what YOU love to do? Are those the same? If so, wonderful. If not, what is one thing you can do today that will bring those thoughts closer in meaning? You better believe I’m thinking about these questions today too and gratefully moving one step closer by getting to write to you.

JMG

PS. ANNOUNCEMENT! I’m extremely excited about my brand new program launching next week. To help you move more towards a life you love, this Monday September 9th I’m launching my “Mini New Years September Event”. Are you needing a change? Wanting to move your body more? Looking for a sense of routine?

This is a 6-week online group coaching program that will challenge, support and empower you through exercise. You will commit to 3, 30-minute strength training workouts for 6 weeks that are guaranteed to kick start your fall (+ some other things) and keep you motivated to stick to your goals for 2013. ALL your workouts will be planned, scheduled, and demonstrated. Your investment is $150 for the entire 6-week program. Spots are extremely limited, so register now to ensure you don’t miss out!

Click HERE to begin a great new start with the “Mini New Years September Event“.

See you there!

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