Have Fun. Make Money!

“Have Fun.  Make Money!”

It was a saying that I’d often hear as I left the house in Jamestown, PA as I ventured off in my early “career” as a bus boy at the local country club, or more necessarily, waiting at a Perkins on the weekends while commuting to my first quarter at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.  This was a period when I wasn’t all that excited about my job.  Customer service is hard.  And I was very much still developing my people skills.

But still, that was a phrase that resonated with my from my Dad.  As I continued to find myself in work that didn’t quite excite me, or felt like where I wanted to be.  I’d do my best to have fun, whether it be with my co-workers in the office, or making a game of the monotonous work.  But then I looked at it another way.  Maybe I didn’t have to struggle to counter the “job suffering” everyone thinks we are entitled to until retirement.

Have fun AND make money.

I made a choice back in August to change my work to grow a bit more.  Thankfully, my employer went for it along with me.  (along with some suggestions on how it could actually help the company.  Yes, my not being here helps the company.  Trust me.  It makes more sense then it sounds.)  Now, while still working a few days a week as a safety training “Video Specialist and Technologist”, I also have a a job helping with social media and new media oppurtunities, including, oddly enough, a print magazine, as a Director of Web Media.  Aside from this, I have the openess to obtain gigs shooting pro wrestling, Democratic debates, edit activism videos, assist with a web series, and continue with my attempt to build a media empire on the side.  I transition from videography, editing, and juggling social media on a daily basis.  I’m busier than I’ve ever found myself in my life. And no matter how busy…

I’m having a blast doing it. Every day.

While it’s been hard to strike that balance to find the work that pays the bills, as long as that’s accomplished, what more could you want?

Are you having fun yet?