Receptions galore

So, a large part of my work life involves "liaising" with various organisations (the European Commission, the Parliament, EU Member State representatives, other IGOs etc). One part I do like about liaising is learning how to read situations and react quickly, to questions, to the unspoken tensions in a room, to the vibe. I think I'm getting better but maybe I'm also getting more confident about myself and my instinct and that helps. The part I thought I'd like a lot and actually realise is a bit of a drain is attending cocktail parties. I've attended two this week and now I'm all cocktailed out! If you'd asked me a year ago what I would want from a job, I'd have said, 'cocktail parties and travel for work'. I have plenty of the former and some of the latter and what I have had has also exhausted me (though both trips have been energising and enriching as well).
Basically, this makes me pause to think, what is it that I really love about my work and what is it that I would want from a future job? Continuous learning is a must, so are challenges but also rewards. I'd like more money and maybe quicker promotions. But are these last two like my desire for cocktails and travel? When I have them, will I want something else? Hmmm...
As I end, because it is late and tomorrow is a busy day, I have to add the start of a new thread - as a lure to my reader(s) and as a reminder to myself (I'm old and the second thing to go is memory - the first being my bloody eye sight!):
Do I and my generation have too many choices? Are we so over stimulated that we are spoilt and in fact, can't even make simple decisions anymore because every decision provides us with multiple options? And, do we actually crave simpler lives? Sorry, nothing too stellar in terms of "new" thoughts- a number of articles have been written on this subject already, but it bears exploring.