decisions, decisions and the job hunt

My sister, Emily, is currently in the job hunt scene and as a result it has made me think a lot about career choices, career paths, purpose, etc. I was talking to my roommate Dana about this - the idea of having purpose in one's life- and she had some great words of wisdom.

Dana: what i do know about purpose is that it is not so much the what you are. for example, if i'm a doctor, i wouldn't say my purpose in life was to be a doctor. that's just a means to an end. it's the what you were able to do as a doctor and why you did, went, heard, saw that's important and informed you and the people you were surrounded by.

and then she said: what bogs us down is the "what". because that's what we've learned to measure success by.

Last night, Emily went out with her friend Caroline and Caroline's the following are her words of wisdom:

Caroline: "some people are career people, some people are family people, and some people are lifestyle people. i think we're both lifestyle people!"

Emily and I are both lifestyle people. When my mom asked Emily where she might see herself in 3 years Emily's first thought was the same as mine "On a patio having a dinner party with friends." :)