Doing work that makes us happy

Today I did something that I haven't done before. It may even change my life. Who knows? So what is this big thing that I did? I wrote an article and submitted it to a magazine that actually pays writers $250-$500 for an article. The magazine seems to be perfect for me. It's called Guideposts and it is a "monthly inspirational, interfaith, non-profit publication written by people from all walks of life. A typical Guideposts story is a first-person narrative written in simple, dramatic, anecdotal style." Hmmm...Well that seems right up my alley.

It's surprising to me that I hadn't thought of doing this, until a good friend suggested it yesterday. Then I remembered that I had had a psychic reading a couple of months ago, where I was told that my future work involved writing articles for magazines and counseling people. At the time I thought that I would love that kind of a life. Writing and counseling wouldn't feel like working at all, as these are things that I would do whether I was paid or not. But I saw this life in some distant future. It hadn't occurred to me that I could actually start living this way now.

But hello... I have downsized enough that I could earn my living if I sold three stories a month--maybe four. How much fun would my life be if that was the case! I essentially wouldn't have to work--ever. How funny that when something comes very easy for us, we don't value it. We think that work is suppose to be hard, otherwise they wouldn't call it "work." We have it all backwards. God wants us to be using the gifts that He gave us to serve Him. He does not want us to be miserable trying to do something that at worse is stressing us to death and at best is boring us. What kind of a loving God would want his children to live like that? Could this be why I can't find work doing analysis, or editing, or tutoring?

So today, for the first time, it occurred to me to see if I can get paid doing something that I love, that comes naturally for me, that nourishes me and others, and that I would do--that I do--without getting paid. I can picture my guides and angels jumping up and down saying, "Whew! She finally got it! How can anyone be so dense?" Time will tell if I am right.