I LIVE THE LIFE I LOVE - EVERY DAY - BY ZOË COLVILLE

I got my first taste of working life as a teenager, and like many others in the countryside, I worked at the village pub and also earned some extra money babysitting for my mum's friend (I looked after her children, not her, of course!). Although I was mainly responsible for washing dishes – the worst task on my rota, alongside hoovering at home – I loved the job. Now that I'm older, I look back and realise that what I really loved was the feeling of being grown-up, the freedom that came with it, and also the freedom of regularly earning my own money. On Sundays after my shift, I’d receive a small brown, square envelope, which usually contained about fifty pounds and some coins from the tip jar. I clutched that little envelope full of possibilities as I sat in the front seat of my dad's Mazda as he drove me home.

When I was 17 and in my last year of secondary school, we attended a careers day where we could learn about various industries. I still remember being frustrated because I didn't want to go into teaching, nor did I want to work for the police or a law firm. I wanted to do something creative. Something with my hands. Something exciting. I decided I wanted to be a hairdresser. Admittedly, the main reason was that I enjoyed going to the salon and getting my hair cut myself. I was promptly told that this would be a waste of my academic abilities, and not wanting to rock the boat, I followed the rest of my clique and took some subjects at a vocational college. A real mix of subjects I enjoyed, but without any real plans or ambitions. I knew I just wanted to "live my life". I desperately wanted to be an adult. Eventually, I left school to do what I was passionate about: hair. And honestly, if I hadn't suddenly and unexpectedly lost my father, I might still be standing in front of a mirror, scissors in hand, making someone feel more beautiful getting out of the chair than they did sitting down.

“Do a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life.”

It wasn't until the first lambing season, after I had fully committed (and invested my money) in animals and farm life, that I remembered that phrase on a sign I'd seen five years earlier in a seaside souvenir shop during a camping holiday. That motto shot through my mind as I sat on the bonnet of the car, watching the sun set. Lambing season is the toughest month for us – sometimes even six weeks – of the entire year. Physically, it's hard, pushing the body to its limits, but mentally, it's even harder. The significance and scale of the career I've stumbled into are greater than I could ever have imagined. And yet, here I am, working in a three-person team – my better half, my dog, and me. I don't feel like I ever truly "work"; I just live the life I love every day.

More from Zoë Colville
Zoë and a Heartfelt Bond with Her Dog
Zoë on Lifestyle Changes