Fame, Fortune, and Happiness

I've been giving this a lot of thought the past few weeks. I've been asked why I write, and what is my motivation. No matter what you do in life, there has to be a motivation somewhere for why you choose to do it, whether it be for money, the pure joy it brings you, notoriety, knowledge, etc.

As I've been analyzing the reasons why I write, and why this has become my chosen profession later in life, I remembered a board game we used to play when I was growing up. Careers. In it, you would choose your career based on what you wanted in life, and would follow that path, gaining points. At the beginning of the game, you would decide out of three areas, Fame, Fortune, and Happiness, what you wanted most. Out of the 60 points you needed to win the game, you'd distribute them how you wanted to earn them, such as a balanced 20 points in each of the three areas.

I always gave very limited points to Fortune, sometimes even zero, and gave the balance between Fame and Happiness. I think it was this basic thought that brought me to a career that gives me limited Fortune, but much happiness, and a little fame, in the way of notoriety, to go along with it. And the funny thing is, once I found true happiness and fame, the fortune started to come around slowly. Not that I'm sitting in riches here, as I don't even make enough to support myself, let alone my kids and husband, so we depend on his salary, with my earnings contributing a little bit here and there.

When I worked full time as a computer typesetter, it wasn't fulfilling entirely to me, although I didn't know any better, and assumed it was. I was happy and had a decent income, but I certainly didn't have any fame or notoriety. I became a stay-at-home mom, and began doing my typesetting freelance from my home. The career slowly moved into freelance graphic design, and I was working for someone who wasn't very good about paying, and still currently owes me more than a few thousand, despite my requests to be paid, and despite the fact I stopped doing work for him over a year ago. I wasn't happy, I didn't have fortune, and I sure wasn't going to find any fame in a career that I didn't even enjoy.

I always remember an episode of Oprah I watched several years ago in my early years of being a stay-at-home mom. Oprah said everyone has a purpose in life, a reason why they are here. And if you find that one thing you are meant to do, and put everything you have into it, you will be successful in your life. Once I began writing, I didn't originally intend for it to become my career, but I found happiness and limited notoriety.

I had begun writing reviews that people I didn't even know were reading, sometimes it would be several hundred people. I would then get emails from some readers telling me how they agreed with me and appreciated my articles. They enjoyed my viewpoint, or my particular take on things. I felt successful, despite the fact I wasn't earning any money for this particular writing gig. What I realize now, looking back on it, was I had found my Happiness and Fame, exactly what I wanted when I was playing that game years ago. And once I felt successful, the Fortune started to come in as well.

I don't know if I'll ever be making so much money writing that I reach the point of not having to ever worry about money anymore, but it doesn't matter. I am successful. I'm doing what I always wanted to do, and am being rewarded with happiness and fame, and a very limited fortune.

I found my Career.