Why you shouldn’t settle for a boring stable job over your dreams

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As a creative type I, and many of my friends, often have thoughts of, “Should I just call it a day on my dreams and settle for a more stable job?” Even if I don’t have those thoughts, my parents certainly impose them on me nearly every time we speak. I think everyone, at some point, has to choose to either pursue their passion, and accept the risks that come with it, or opt for a job they aren’t excited about, but that would come with benefits, a 401K, a stable salary, and so on. Those two lifestyles aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but the path less traveled (aka the one that leads to your dreams) usually doesn’t yield the money/stability/retirement plan until much later than the more traditional jobs can. But honestly, so what? Really. Here is why you shouldn’t settle for a boring stable job over your dreams.

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What’s the use in money if you don’t have time?

What’s the use in having all that money from that stable job if you don’t have time to enjoy it? Sure, you may have plenty of disposable income but not a spare hour to use it. Two weeks paid vacation and weekends don’t really give you the freedom to enjoy your extra income.

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You’ll never stop thinking about it

You will never just forget that you had a dream. It will gnaw at you forever. If you think that that nagging sensation goes away, it doesn’t. Trust me. I have plenty of friends who chose more reliable, traditional jobs who are now coming to me to tell me they are unhappy and wish they’d gone another direction.

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Stability is an illusion

For the record, there is no such thing as a stable job. Companies collapse. Someone willing to take a lower salary snags your job. Pay cuts happen. People get laid off. Stability is just an illusion, so it certainly isn’t anything to rest your happiness on. In an instant—poof—it could be gone.

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It makes you a miserable partner

If you try to ignore your true desires and dreams, you’ll wind up a miserable person. And miserable people make miserable partners. It’s not really possible to have a job you hate and a relationship that’s thriving. Your misery leaks into every area of your life.

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It makes you a miserable friend

It also makes you that friend nobody wants to be around—you’re a drag. You just complain about work all of the time. You don’t contribute anything exciting or inspired to the conversation.

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No amount of money can heal depression

You will most likely suffer from some depression if you just wipe your dreams under the carpet. And all the money in the world that you get from that stable job of yours won’t cure it.

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Nobody is judging you

If your reason for not pursuing your dreams is the societal judgment—the fear that people will judge you for starting over, for being 40 and back in school, for being in your late thirties and an intern—knock that off. People are usually too fixated on their own path to judge someone else’s.

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Okay if they are, forget them

Alright, a few people may judge you but, they don’t really belong in your life if they’d criticize you for going after the thing that can make you happy.

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When you’re happy, you don’t need much money

Sure, you may take a major pay cut to go after your dreams. But the truth is that when you’re happy (which you will be if you pursue your dreams) you don’t need much money. You just need enough to cover your basic needs, but you won’t miss all that excess money you had before.

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You’ll resent your family

Here’s the problem with taking a high-paying job you hate so that you can have a family: you’ll wind up resenting your family. That isn’t fair to them. Don’t start a family until you’re happy in your life—with your accomplishments.

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You really do only live once

You won’t get another shot at this. Remember that. When you’re really old, you’ll deeply regret not pursuing your dreams because the reality will hit you that you missed your chance.

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You can always go back to safety

Look, if things don’t work out, you can get back in the stable/boring job game. It may take a minute to get back into it, but I’m sure you can. And hopefully, you won’t even have to.

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You’ll attract other miserable people

When you work a job you hate and ignore your dreams, you attract other people in the same boat. And they are negative, depressed, and depressing individuals. You don’t get the inspirational go-getters as friends if you’re not an inspirational go-getter.

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It just isn’t worth it

Nothing is worth sacrificing your dreams over. Nothing. Your dreams can’t be ignored. They won’t be ignored. They’ll stick in your craw like a nail if you try to ignore them. No amount of status, money, or stability will ever make you glad you ignored your dreams.