My job is more than just 9-5

I love my job because, it allows me to help others, ‘help others’ in a way, not in a way of being materialistic or physically doing a task. But help others, in a sense of being able to provide people a sense of belonging, feeling like they are a part of their community, they are not alone in what they do, there are other people who face the same thing they face, whether it’s emotionally, physically or mentally. My job doesn’t pay me, my job is more than just about earning money, it’s about being a better human being to another person. The smallest gift you can give somebody is your time, your attention, your understanding and your ability to listen, is a far better job than money. Including people, no matter their race, their religion, their disability and allowing them to belong to their identity, allowing them to belong to their culture, but more importantly allowing them to belong to themselves, is inevitable. We spend so much time as humans wanting to be accepted and wanting to be heard by somebody, so why can’t we make that difference?

I love my job because, it allows me to be of service to create change, and to create impact, which has come from having the opportunity to travel as a child, through family occupations, it has allowed me to understand and gain knowledge in understanding how other societies work, how other societies operate and how other societies live. This understanding and knowledge has allowed me to create connections with people all over the world, no matter their financial status, their language, their disability and social class. I have had the opportunity to become friends with people who created opportunities for a better life, people who are from wealthy families but, have no understanding of what it means to lose everything, I’ve become friends with people who have had to flee from their countries because of civil wars and civil injustice that has been imposed on them by their own countries, I have become friends with people have looked down on me because I wasn’t for them, and that’s okay, that’s life. But, I still love my job because it allows me to meet all sorts of people, it allows me to adapt to how I want my life to be, it allows me to understand how people operate and function mentally and emotionally. It allows me to decide what kind of people I want in my life and what I want for my life.

My job is about empowering those who never had a voice, who never had the chance to shine, who never had the chance to show people what they can be. I love my job because, it allows me to help others and myself, create a vision for a better and inclusive world and yes, it’s a hard job, it’s not something that happens overnight, but it will happen because people like me, can make it happen, no matter what the cause it, magic can happen by people who believe. There’s nothing wrong with wanting better, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be better but, it comes at a price, because there are people who won’t want you to succeed, there are people who won’t lift a finger for you, they will only lift a finger if you’re doing the work, they will only lift a finger if they can get recognition for it but, one thing I know, is that, they can’t do what I do because they don’t have the work ethic. When I say work ethic, I don’t mean get and up and go to work and come home, I mean work ethic as in, even if your fail, you keep going, even if you fail, you try another way to reach that goal, even if you fail, you never give up. Most people give up, because it’s too hard, most people give up because they are tired, because they don’t want to keep going and most people give up because no one believes in them. But in truth, your job, is to believe in what you’re doing, your job is to believe in what you’re saying and, your job, is to make sure it happens.

I love my job because it’s more than just the 9-5 weekly and yearly routine, my job allows me to be flexible, my job allows me to be work free in the mind, yes I have a job that pays by the hour but, that’s not enough. It’s not enough for me to just exist in this life, it’s not enough for me to just work 9-5 for 365 days a year, every year for the next forty years, that’s not for me. I love my job because it allows me to tell stories, stories that come from experience, stories that aren’t just about happiness but, about sadness, grief, struggle and winning. I love my job because when I create my podcasts, it allows me to speak and think freely and, hopefully, provide courage, knowledge and understanding to others. To say, you are not alone and I understand, because I’ve been there, I understand because I’ve been through it, I understand because I was once there in that position, and, I refuse to let my life just fade away, I refuse to let others bring me down because, I’m on a mission, a mission for change, a mission for impact and creating a better community, a better society, a better world, but most importantly, create a better me.

This job of mine, isn’t about impacting or creating change, for a better society and world, but it is about showing people the world is a beautiful place, through my photography. My photography has always been a hobby of mine, whenever I go travelling, but when I take pictures I want them to represent, and be meaningful to people. Not just wanting people to look at them, and fall in love with the idea that travelling is magnificent, which it is, but we need to be realistic, travel like life has many struggles and problems that can occur, it can give us pleasure and happiness but, we also need to understand how life and travel functions together. I love my job because, it gives meaning to others, it provides hope and solidarity to people who do not have a voice of their own. My job allows them to be and stand strong, to stand up for what is right, and for what they believe in, allows them to speak for themselves and for what they believe in. Yes, it's not easy to stand up for what you believe in, because you might be standing alone and that’s okay. But, we as people who care about what is right, should always stand up for what is right, regardless of what other people think, because in truth, their opinions really aren’t any of our business. So, this is my job and, I love what I do because it provides connection and inclusion for all, regardless of a person’s appearance, race and religion. That's my job, a job of hope, support, encouragement and love, a job that is more than just 9-5 in an office.