Guess what? The perfect job doesn’t exist.

Sure, many of us find work that we love to do. I’ll bet Meredith Vieira of the Today Show thinks she has the world’s best job and Miley Cyrus probably considers her’s is pretty cool too. But “perfect” … entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings as defined by www.dictionary.com? I don’t think so.

Wrapping everything you love to do in one career plan can be quite a tall order, especially in this economy.
You heard me say it before. My Love What You Do Bloom “seed” is not just about your job but about loving life. To stay engaged with living a full life, is to infuse some learning, excitement and joy in all that you do. And if rock collecting really does it for you, then start digging in the ground instead of spending your energy finding the “perfect” job.  Do focus on a career that encompasses at least one quality you love (or at least like if the job/career market is tough) and can utilize your other experiences,  skills and talents but take the lens off of finding a job that satisfies all of your passions.  And go for a balanced lifestyle to feed all the other parts of you to really Love What You Do in life.

Maybe we’re not giving ourselves credit for being multi-faceted individuals with diverse interests.
Since I like horseback riding, healthy eating, travel and working with women in transition, how do I possibly find one job that will feed all of these passions? It seems to me that unless I move out west and start a get-away travel business that books ranch adventures for gals-on-the-go serving organic meals, I’m pretty much out of luck. Of course that does sound tempting but I’m not about to pack everything up and start anew. And anyway, I love to sail, go to the shore and my current work. Pretty hard to do in Wyoming.

If your one-size-fits-all passions plan is leading you in circles especially with a tough job market out there and other financial constraints to deal with, it may be time to hone in on one area of interest along with your skill set. How about an interim position to keep things chugging along while you keep looking?  If you have a day job, why not research something to do on the side that you’ll love to be involved with or develop? Can you take on the challenge of an entrepreneurial venture, maybe starting out small with one idea that you love?

You can love the work you do. But it might take a few steps or stages and might only encompasses one particular passion instead of them all. So, forgo looking for perfect. Like I tell my college-bound daughter who loves British history, music and is gifted in both math and science.  She only has to pick one of those interests as her major and take courses in the rest along with some new ones so she keeps exploring.

Stay engaged in loving life and keep things in balance.
The mistake, would be to keep searching for perfection in an imperfect, wonderful world filled with many things you love to do. Instead, find a career that fulfills at least a part of you and stay engaged in loving life with your hobbies, social activities, friends and family to feed your other passions.

To Love What You Do is not about finding the perfect career, but part of a balanced lifestyle. Now that’s something to strive for.