I'm here to tell you why you should love what you do and do what you love. So, what did you want to be when you were ten years old before money mattered? When one of your parent’s friends was making small talk and asked you that question, what was your answer? I always wanted to be a writer and that seemed attainable, but unfortunately life took a strange turn and I fell into a career I never expected to be in, and that is event planning.
I was 18 when I walked through the doors of a large corporation, and taking that secretarial internship job after my mom died was my only choice for survival. I remember not even knowing how to use the letter opener on the first day. I truly felt too small for the big world I found myself in. Then after six months of hard work, I was hired into their event planning department. I then went on to work for another firm for 15 years where I headed up a division that employed 30 event planners and we planned 5,000+ events a year. Now I own my own event planning business and have for 12 years and still love every day of what I do, despite event planner being ranked yearly in the top ten stressful jobs up there with fireman and policeman. Yes, one would never think that is true, but it is. I'm so glad I figured out why you should love what you do and do what you love.
People see my industry as glamorous because I get to travel. Admittedly, I have seen some beautiful places and have some wonderful memories and stories to share with the grandkids, but trust me even though I’m the party planner, I’m also working it, and that is exactly what it takes to plan a large-scale event successfully - focused and detailed work from the start of the planning until the last person gets on the plane and leaves. I’ve often told those that I have trained, "if you must define what we do in simple terms, the easiest way to do so is to call us adult babysitters." We need to be in complete control of the entire event like a babysitter would if they were watching over more than just a few children for a few days on an overnight trip.
We “babysit” all aspects of the event, from the vendors getting the details straight, on time and within budget to the attendees getting there, behaving and getting home without any major issues. Oh yes and don’t let me forget the specs you have to make sure you send to the rain gods because they must make sure to turn the rain off during the outdoor events and activities you have coordinated. Sometimes this support team doesn’t always deliver and that just causes added work.
Despite it all, I do love what I do so I did get lucky that I landed into something so fitting for me personally. That said, I still felt I missed out on what the little girl inside me really enjoys doing, and that is writing. So, I went on to write and publish the book "My Semi-Charmed Life" in 2010 and am working on a second and here I am now writing for this women’s community and I truly love it. Writing doesn’t pay well, so I won’t be leaving my day job anytime soon, but that’s not why I do either job that I do. I do both because I do enjoy doing them, I love what I do and do what I love, and I really believe everyone should live life that way because life is too short to live otherwise.
What you want to be “when you grow up” shouldn’t always be analyzed based on what makes the most money. Yes, of course, money matters, but money doesn’t make you who you are, and it doesn’t create happiness. In fact, some of the most miserable people in the world are the wealthiest. Your interests and your gifts and what you do with them and how they impact others make you who you are, and you find those gifts within. It’s never too late and you are never too old to find them and share them and leave your special mark on the world and love every minute doing it!