Livelihood in Olden Times

Livelihood means a way of life through which a person earns basic necessities for living. It can be anything from a blacksmith to a minister in the office of the President of a country. If we look at the past, we find that a normal person would find a livelihood by searching for jobs and business opportunities in the local area. If nothing was available in the area, the person would move to another place for the same. Some would serve in the courts of Kings and Emperors and others would continue their lineage of a family business. There were also people with some land or cattle who would earn a living through agriculture.

There were other kinds of livelihood in the olden times but looking from a wide perspective, it was basically what one could grab in the crowd to earn a living. It was extremely rare in the olden times for a poor person to become rich overnight, unlike today, when we see these events on a daily basis. Many factors restricted the poor to the same conditions including landlords and some religious customs like the Brahman society. Let's look at the shift that has taken place today in the 21st century.

2024: A New Face of Livelihood

Social media, instant connectivity, working from home, free knowledge on the internet, and many more phenomena happening today, describe a huge change of livelihood setting in the present world. Not only are there huge opportunities and options for a person but becoming what one wishes is way too easy.

The most prominent and promising platform that people use for their choice of livelihood is social media. Today you can do whatever you want and earn money at the same time through social media. It has become the largest free platform where anyone can showcase anything to an immense size of audience. You can also search for jobs across the globe while sitting in one place, something unimaginable in the past. Still more changes are happening and it is interesting to see what comes next.

Hobby vs a Suitable Job

It is clear that pursuing something as a livelihood that you like is much easier today compared to the past times. People in the past were driven towards a suitable job or a stable business that would provide them with a comfortable life.

Nowadays, many people have realized that there is something better than a suitable job or a stable business. That is converting a hobby into a passion. It might have been a distant dream for anyone who would want to pursue a hobby in the past but today the opportunities are huge. There are some restrictions for very poor people but still, it is not impossible. People are giving preference to exploring themselves and solving the mysteries of this world. After all, man has been driven by exploration and search since the dawn of humanity. It can be said that people are doing what they find peaceful and engaging.

The Bitter Part of Society

As discussed above, it must be clear that an individual has many opportunities and resources today for becoming what he wishes to become and achieving what he/she seeks. Let's talk about where society sits in an individual’s life and how it affects the choice of livelihood.

Speaking in a raw form, society is a community in an area that is bound together by the same religious beliefs, traditions, culture, history and language. Societies have occurred since time immemorial and served various purposes of human existence like social linkages, relationships, and unity of people. However, there is a bitter side of society as well, that is the fear of being unique in some way from society. This fear of being different occurs because of certain factors such as being seen as an alien being, disapproval of others, and fear of separation from a group. Let's see how one can choose a livelihood according to his liking and wants.

How to choose a livelihood?

Now if you have decided to walk your own path and explore your own self, you should keep a few things in mind. Choosing a livelihood that suits a person’s likes and interests needs proper research and understanding of own self. A person can explore through different mediums like career charts, internet research, and other tools to reach on a conclusion and make a clear goal and pursue it. This process can take some time and thus needs a good level of patience.

Challenges to Face

There will be many challenges while taking your own path. You need to face these challenges with bravery and patience.

1. Fear of being different: Do not consider yourself useless or of less value than others when choosing a different path. Rather consider yourself a unique and original form of a human. Remember that being different is a principle that drives evolution.
2. Feeling of being lost: If you feel that you are lost at any point, take some rest and revisit your mind and clear your goals. It can take a good amount of time to recover from a setback sometimes but do not hurry and analyze the situation and be patient.
3. What will others say?: People have always something to say. So it is no different that people talk about you being on a different path. Believe in yourself and realize that no one can understand you better than you.
4. Low confidence: You should celebrate small achievements to provide yourself with good confidence to lead in the way. Take small steps and have courage in what you are pursuing.
5. Parental Force: Many children experience pressure from their parents to do what they say. In this situation, it is best to talk to them and tell them what you are interested in. If they persist and do not understand, you should stay on your way. They should understand that they should not hand over their unfulfilled dreams to their children. Everyone is different and unique in their own way.

Tips for boosting your journey

Here are some tips for boosting your pace in your unique journey of life:

• Relish small achievements.
• Have a healthy body and mind by practising yoga or any other exercise.
• Read books and gain more knowledge.
• Spend your time wisely.
• Choose loyal and supportive friends.
• Take time to heal from a grave situation.
• Spend time in nature.
• Get better day by day and take new challenges.
• Read Philosophy.
• Eat healthy food.

Conclusion

In the conclusion I will quote the words of Alvin Toffler, a famous American writer and futurist: 

“The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

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I wrote this article with the aim of helping people who are facing the challenges discussed above or are in a similar situation. I hope this article helps as many people as possible and that many of them take courage and carve their way to success. For any replies contact me on my Instagram @thaaba786. Support and follow on Instagram as well.