Do you enjoy your job?

was talking to a fellow Quoran the other day. He said that if he was rich, he would quit his job immediately, enjoy himself and dedicate his time to reading and researching the things he is passionate about.Then he asked me what I would do if I had enough money to do what ever I want.I thought about all the vast options I would have as this very wealthy person, and then realized:I would continue doing exactly what I am doing now.I love my job.Being a psychotherapist is not just a job for me. It feels more like a calling. It feels as if a piece of the puzzle was placed at its perfect place to complete who I am. It is that rare and sacred feeling: This is it.I used to work in two corporations in high and prestigious positions. I wore fancy suits, traveled, led my own departments, sat in important meetings with important people and discussed important stuff. I had a wonderful salary, bonuses and many other benefits.I was also miserable every step of the way.That wasn’t it. It wasn’t me, and no money, prestige or power could compensate the deep pointlessness I felt, faced with having to do something I could not believe in.I felt no passion for the goals I had to make, and no sense of value of the work I was doing.If someone asked me then what I would do if I didn’t have to work, my answer would have been very similar to that fellow Quoran’s. I would quit my job immediately, and then dedicate myself to something I love.I did not become rich, but I gave up being a career bussines woman, and left that life behind me.I became a psychotherapist.Every day when I wake up, and think of my day and the schedule in front of me, I feel deeply happy that I get to do what I truly and completely love.Last night some Quoran wrote a comment to one of my answers:This comment was obviously meant to be hurtful and insulting, but it also got me thinking about what my clients mean to me.They come and open up their worlds, inviting me inside. I get to walk through their memories, witness their sorrow, loneliness, deep desires, crippling shame, guilt, pain and love. Many times I get to be the first person who they open their closets to.I do not feel sorry for people who come to me and call me their therapist. I value them. I admire their bravery in deciding to deal with their issues and confront their demons. I don’t feel pity, but deep compassion when I get to know their stories, wounds and tragedies.I am humbled because they trust me enough to give me their most vulnerable selves and expose their soft and raw places to me, places that are usually forcefully protected and hidden.I feel honored to be the one who can witness their coming back to themselves, setting boundaries, creating healthier relationships with those around them, and becoming happier and more stable in their lives.In the end, my final goal is much different than goals of many businesses and corporations.As they strive to keep their customers for a long time, and tie them (and possibly their friends and families) to their products and services, I strive to do the opposite.The ultimate goal of therapy is to let my clients go. I was their road companion for a while. They needed my support and guidance as they fought obstacles that at the time seemed too hard to battle by themselves. But then comes a moment when they look at me with a smile and decide they are ready and strong enough to continue alone.We wave to one another and my heart fills with admiration and pride, as I see my clients walk independently into their future.I don’t do my clients’ work for them. They are the heroes who get in there and fight to get their lives back into their own hands.I am someone with a flash-light, helping them see into their situations better, someone with training, knowledge, techniques and some experience to guide them along this path.I am happy and grateful to have a job that I truly love and believe in. It is a job that makes a small but important change in this world.I have no plan to ever stop doing it.