Love songs don't have to be about people

So, as I was listening to my latest guilty pleasure, "Battlefield," by Jordin Sparks, I thought to myself how, if the song was about love between two people in a relationship, then it didn't really apply to me. Personally, I don't think a relationship should feel like a battlefield, and I'm very thankful mine doesn't.

But there are other aspects of life involving love that most certainly do feel like a battlefield. One is my professional life. Does anyone else feel like finding your place in the professional world is a constant battle? Especially if you're just starting out, say, in your 20s, and you find yourself in a position that you thought would be great but isn't. In this case, Ms. Sparks's line about, "You better you and get your armor," applies. You get your armor and your resume, and you go fight for yourself, defending not just your pride or your potential income, but in some ways, your self-worth.

I don't know about you, but there are many times when I feel my self-worth is unreasonably closely tied to my success in my career. I mean, especially if you've gone to graduate school and are not now in a post-graduate level job... that stings. You start thinking, "Well, why did I spend all my savings (and/or go into debt) and work my arse off in graduate school? It's just not paying off." That's a sad thing to think, because I'm a firm believer that education is a good thing, not just professionally, but for education's sake.

We're told from a young age to 'do what we love.' Too often, though, trying to do what we love hurts, at least in the beginning. It's worth the fight, though, I think. Life is too short - and too full of other things that are unpleasant - to work at something you don't love. So go get your armor. It's a battlefield.