Forever Shopping?

Oh this 'transitioning' bit is much more challenging than I'd imagined! A mid-life crisis used to be simply a matter of buying a red corvette convertible, touring the countryside and having various torrid affairs with young hotties (Oh, look at that! A red corvette just passed by as I finished writing that sentence! No kidding.) I suppose if that was all there was to it, a lot more of us would be jumping on the mid-life crisis band wagon.

But no, it is actually more complicated than that, unfortunately. Rather than the red corvette and countryside tour, I flew off on a jet plane and did the European tour, otherwise, my 'crisis' was pretty much of the traditional sort. And I highly recommend it! However, it's the transitioning from the 'crisis' portion to the 'next phase' portion where things get tricky.

Not willing to revert back to where I began: a cubical corporate job which is "safe" yet soul sucking and meaningless. But not having found the perfect job after all this time, nor having found Mr. Perfect in the process either. Why is that? Are the two issues closely related? I think they are. Being in the wrong job is quite like being in the wrong marriage. Both can be stifling, make you feel trapped, stuck or defeated, along with a lot of other negative emotions. And many of the qualities we look for in a job are similar to those we look for in a partner:

1. We want to feel good (both emotionally and physically) with our job/partner.

2. We want to feel we are getting something from our job/partner.

3. We want to feel we are making a positive contribution in our job/relationship.

4. We want to wake up and be excited to be involved with our job/partner.

5. We want to feel important in our job/to our partner.

6. We want respect from our job/partner.

7. We want to have fun with our job/partner.

Right, the criteria is pretty similar. So if I'm seeking the same criteria from both my job AND my partner and haven't found the perfect fit in either category, am I being too demanding? Probably. Should I be that demanding? Definitely.

In talking to a fellow single and actively dating friend the other night, we commented on how people in relationships will often tell us that we might be "too picky." What they are really saying is "just settle...that's what we did."

Thanks anyway. I'll keep shopping.