An Idealist Healer...

So for quite some time I've been contemplating what kind of career would be a good match for me. I thought about becoming a librarian, but realized that I did not really desire it strongly enough (especially to go through two to three years of schooling). So I put that thought on the back burner, and gradually it faded away.

I didn't have many ideas, so one day I found myself taking a personality test online. It told me I am an "Idealist Healer" (INFP) and many of the qualities it attributed to INFPs seemed right on. But what I was most interested in were the career recommendations for my personality type.

I browsed through them... sociology professor, psychologist, composer... and then I came to one that struck me: grant writer. Hmm. Worth looking into.

So I did. Turns out, grant writing (that is what it is called, but in actuality, it is grant proposal writing) requires creativity, organizational abilities and writing skills (check, check and check). So far so good. Also, grant writers usually work to secure grants for non-profit organizations, most of which support good causes. Because of this, many grant writers find the work very rewarding, as they help bring financial resources into the local community.

So I tucked the idea away, and continued to consider it from time to time.

Eventually, I found myself considering it more and more. I began looking up classes for grant writing in my area. Turns out, there is one offered next spring at a nearby college. Sign up is in December, and I hope to go through with it.

Then came a meeting at the Audubon Center where I volunteer. The organization (which is separate from the National Audubon) has come to a critical point financially. And guess what? They need people to help write grant proposals.

I offered to help out, and within a few days I was working on my first grant proposal! It seems like as soon as I was ready to further explore grant writing, the opportunity fell into my lap. I'm enjoying the process so far, and I've been very busy, between working on that and doing my normal volunteer work at the front desk for the Audubon Center.

I feel like I have a greater life purpose to work toward, and this is definitely helping me in my recovery from mental illness. I'm doing things that would have been out of reach a mere month or two ago. I can't help but see this as an instance when the Universe gave me exactly what I needed, at the moment I was ready for it. I feel grateful.



Happy Thanksgiving, all!