How To Follow your Bliss The Neat Obsessions Way
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Every Friday everywhere, people are figuratively (heck, sometimes even literally, jumping for joy). Thank God, it’s Friday!
Every Sunday evening everywhere, people moan with dread, “God, I can’t believe it’s already Monday tomorrow.”
Every time I hear this (from other people and from myself), I think, “Surely, life should be better than this?” How sad is it that I am only happy when Friday or payday hits?
How can we engage in blissful living when we hate, or at the very least, are unhappy 40 hours every week? Who was it who said, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life”? Is that even possible? In this day and age of rising living costs and unemployment rate, who can afford to follow their passion and only do work that they really love?
Photo by Tommaso Fornoni on Unsplash
Actually, who can afford not to? Businesses, especially, need to do everything they can to make sure that their employees are happy. Why? Just take a look at this enlightening infographic from SnackNation. As the title says, the statistics are shocking.
Simply put, people who are happy with their work are more productive. If you own a business, then it really is in your best interest to ensure that you support employee happiness.
But what do you do as an individual? How can you make sure that you love your work?
The answer, as always, is simple enough but like practically everything worth doing, quite difficult to execute.
You find out what you’re passionate about and you follow it. You FOLLOW YOUR BLISS.
Kevin and Jade
That’s really it. You need to find out what really makes your heart sing and then map a plan of action to achieve it.
I am very privileged to know a few people in my circle who do exactly that and this post will feature one of them.
Issa Guico Reyes, the Philippines’ very own Marie Kondo, didn’t always start as a professional organiser. In fact, Jade knew her from childhood when they both went to the same school.
Issa, after a process of self-discovery, now knows what she really wants to do and admirably, is actually doing it.
The post below is a condensed version of Issa’s reflections on her journey. It originally appeared in her blog, Neat Obsessions (note: all underlined caps in bold are mine), where she helps people find order in their home or place of work as well as inspire other mothers to find order in their personal well-being. Enjoy!
ON PASSION TURNED PROFESSION
When was the last time you ever asked yourself if you’re passionate about what you’re currently doing? Don’t we all wonder what really inspires and motivates us?
I quit being an HR practitioner when I wanted to be a full-time mom. When I was living in Hong Kong, I had a lot of time to think (Literally, lots of time! On most days, I’d get really excited every time my husband would come home from work so that I have another adult to talk to!). I thought a lot of what else I would want to do. Later on, I discovered my passion for sales and became a financial advisor. It became a joy to talk to people and to help them make the right decision in securing their future or simply taking care of their health.
Let’s fast forward to the day I told a friend that I wanted to become a Professional Organizer. Her initial reaction was to consider it as a “service for the rich.” I was puzzled. Why would organizing be seen as a luxury given that it is challenging and oftentimes dirty?
Then she said that IN DOING IT, I WILL BE ABLE TO TRANSLATE SOMETHING THAT I LOVE INTO A BUSINESS WHILE INSPIRING OTHERS.
WOW. It feels great hearing it (and writing and reading it right now) like that, but the starting journey was not a piece of cake!
I had to assess and reassess myself if I am really eligible to do it, especially because the profession is only known in the US and Canada. There’s no formal school that teaches people how to become a Professional Organizer outside North America (What is a Professional Organizer? click this link). I needed to ask several people, do a lot of research, and ask myself time and again if this is something I can really do. Committing to this means less time with the kids and that bothers me a lot as a mom. I did a lot of trial and error at home and I had to get validation from my greatest critique when it comes to cleaning – my dad. Of course, I also had to go through never-ending conversations with my best adviser – my husband. He practically assured me to follow my heart and never even consider that lesser time with kids means lesser love. The idea is to make quality time and not just the length of time being in the same room. Believe me, the support I got from him is everything that I need to make anything work… I guess, that’s what you call marriage, huh?
If you’ve been following my journey, you’d know I have been given multiple times to share the passion that was once just in my heart. To share everything about it, the good and the bad. It really pays to have a strong desire and a stronger support system.
I guess I am fortunate to have had a very supportive husband. He really knows how to guide me when it comes to my business endeavors. In this journey, he made sure that I am equipped not by talent alone, but also with technical know-how. He directed me to certificate courses that will enhance my knowledge as I enter this new venture. Right now, I already got my IAPO (International Certifications for Professional Organizer) certificate from New Jersey, and currently working on my NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals) certifications. I am also waiting for a seat in the Marie Kondo Seminar for Professional Organizers in 2019. (I really hope I can get one… I really do!)
This blog entry might not do my real journey justice, but I hope it pretty much gives you the picture of how something I love turned into something I decided to pursue. I always believe that when you are willing to go the extra mile to learn more, that’s when you can say that you are passionate about what you are doing.
So is Professional Organizing really for the rich? I would say no… My passion, though time-consuming and resource intensive having all the planning and people who help me and all the training we all have been doing, is not just confined in the four walls of a room we are organizing, it goes beyond it. This blog, my Instagram account, my Facebook account, and my twitter are different channels which help me share with you the simple and complicated ways to organize your things at home or other places. What touches me the most are the simple messages of “keep it up, you inspire us to be neat at home!”, “Thank you for all the tips!”, and the best one yet “You gave me happiness and purpose in times where I only feel sadness…” That’s why being neat is for everyone. It’s a passion that is not just about how beautiful a home is, or how expensive the things in are in it, but rather, being neat is about seeing the things that mean to you, not losing track of it, and making more space for happiness to come in. Reminding you the senti moments you had with your cassette mixtape, crying because you broke up with your crush, or just imagining what your dream proposal would be, or that graduation gift your dad gave you which inspired you to finish college, or that very inexpensive bracelet that your then boyfriend gave you when you were in high school and now beside you, and for every day of your life… aren’t all these feelings so neat? neat as in good! neat as pure unadulterated joy…
This journey took a lot of courage. Mind you, it still does require a lot of courage. Are you thinking about taking a different path to pursue your passion? It’s never too late!
When the going gets tough, I remind myself of the beautiful things this journey has produced…
Seeing a spic and span space after hours of work, hearing a “Job well done!” from people personally and virtually, and inspiring people from all walks of life to live a life of order makes me confidently say I did the right thing when I decided to pursue this journey, and I am strongly passionate about what I am doing.
You might have read this on social media: “ALLOW YOUR PASSION TO BECOME YOUR PURPOSE, AND IT WILL ONE DAY BECOME YOUR PROFESSION.”
Organizing is my passion turned purpose turned profession.
As Issa discovered when she went on her life-changing journey, it takes daring courage, massive determination and unfailing faith in your own ability to direct your life. It also takes a whole lot of love and support from the people around her.
Was it easy? No! Was it worth it? Definitely!
NOTE: We at Live A Blissful Life believe that everybody’s journey is different and that to compare yours to someone else’s will never make anyone happy. That said, we believe in the power of inspiration. This is what feature articles are really about. In showing you the story of normal people who have already achieved what you want to achieve, we hope that you will come to realise that living your bliss is indeed possible.
Do you know someone who you think should be featured in this category? Leave their names and URL in comments and you might just find out their story. 🙂
WOW!!! Great article indeed, I enjoyed it, the work we do must be our passion, what we derive pleasure in, unless that it will be annoying to us always, people who are happy with their work are more productive. If you own a business, then it really is in your best interest to ensure that you support employee happiness, this is a real fact because human capital is essential to be successful in business, if employees are not happy, productivity will be very low. The best way to enjoy most is to turn our passion for money. Excellent write-up, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your comment, Abayomi. We’re glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
Thanks for sharing that story about your friend. She has come up with a cool business idea. I like what you said in the first paragraph about the whole thing about Fridays and Mondays. I can relate and I sort of adopted a unconventional lifestyle in which there is really no such thing as Friday or Monday. Instead of thinking of it as like a work week and a weekend I just sort of live each day with balance. I like living this way. It’s not about getting burnt out for 5 days straight and then having like two days to sort of recover from that it’s more about just having a balance between activity and rest and different activities within the frame of each day.
I am trying to think if I know anyone who could be featured in this type of section. Brian Johnston comes to mind. He made this thing called philosophers notes which was summaries of books that he liked to read. I used to listen to his podcast and he had a lot of cool things to say about how happiness has to come first instead of the other way around. He was a good influence in my life. I’m sure there are other people but no one in particular pops into mind right away.
Charles, I do love the way you think. That’s an awesome way to live. We’re gradually streamlining our lives so that we too can start living with more balance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
This is so true. I once heard someone complain in the elevator about another Monday and start to verbally dream of Friday… when someone else commented that “they shouldn’t wish their life away”. It was a short and simple statement, but held a lot of truth. Hopefully it was a message that resonated enough to be a catalyst for them evaluate the path they were on to know whether they were just having a tough day or ready to chart a new path.
Gosh, Aly, that’s a powerful statement right there. Don’t wish your life away. It really makes you think, doesn’t it? Thanks for sharing that experience.
Hi! This post was an excellent motivational push I needed today, thanks so much. I’m interested in pursuing something that is more in the nonprofit sector than might be considered a business, but I seriously, seriously love it. So I’m glad to read this post reminding me that loving what you do means you don’t have to work another day in your life! I love that quote. I am also completely unsurprised by the statistics on the infographic. Happy people in general work better. People who hate their lives do not perform well at all. I also never heard of a professional organizer until today, so thanks for that!
Glad you found your passion, Selenity Jade. It took me more than 30 years to discover mine haha
What an honor to be featured in your blog, Kevin and Jade. It was never an easy ride getting to where I am and I must say that there are still a lot to learn. It does take a lot of courage to follow your heart but isn’t that what dreaming and loving something/someone is all about. All the best to both of you! I love the concept of your blog and what a joy to know that you are doing this together. ♥️
Thank you, Issa, for the kind words. Your journey is an inspiration to us and we’re sure, will prove inspirational to others. <3 Here's to more success and continued bliss!