I so much love this quote from Confucius; “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” this quote has completely described what passion can mean for one’s career. Passion is a natural supplement if we can harness it to build a career for ourselves. Everything comes easy and natural. Building a career off your passion is like getting paid for having fun. The drive to put in work comes easy. Many people make their career choices upon money. How well am I going to get paid can provide you financial security but you will never find fulfillment.
All the people today moaning about 9 to 5 are victims of money driven career choices. On Fridays you will find them excited to high heaven only to enter a depressed mood on Sunday. That’s their life every week. It’s like they are paid to endure torture. The money accrued from such jobs will never provide them with the much needed fulfillment their body and soul so desperately desires. Don’t get me wrong on here, money is good and very important but what is life without fulfillment? Lots of people tend to equate having too much money with happiness but truth is money only buys you the superficial happiness but real happiness comes from fulfillment.
Do you know why you need to follow your passion over every other thing? Because passion can fetch you both: too much money, happiness and fulfillment. You are naturally at your unrivaled best when you do things you love. Your passion gives you an edge in all your endeavors. Whatever your passion is, you can harness it to build a fortune for yourself. You just need to follow your heart and trust in your ability. However, building a career out of your passion isn’t going to be a walk in the park for you at the beginning. You need to take a careful approach and do your homework well before walking out of your current job.
Below are some steps to follow if you want to build a career off your passion:
Access your strength
Sometimes talents can be hidden to individuals who posses it. Identifying what you are good at can be a little bit tricky. Accessing your strength can give you an insight of what gift you posses naturally. Every individual is blessed with certain natural talent; you just need to analyze your life to realize it. Being passionate about something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s your gift. You can be a gifted athlete but you are more passionate about music. If you can’t think of anything you are passionate about, try to recall your childhood memories. Think of the things you enjoy doing as a kid. That could be the answer you are looking for. As a kid, you have zero concern for money; you only do things that make you happy.
Also, to access your natural strength, you can think of your best subject in college. The career affiliation of that subject could be the area where you belong. For instance, if you are good in mathematics, you could make a decent career in IT department. Whatever field you arrive at, make sure you are passionate about it. It’s the only way you will be able to find fulfillment in it.
Figure out how to get started
What most people don’t get about going with passion on career decisions is you can be gainfully employed in a job you are passionate about. You mustn’t be self employed. However, if you are to start your own journey, there are things you must figure out before delving into anything new. You can start by consulting experts on that field. Seek for their professional opinions. Know the industry inside out. Study the market; know your target customers and everything there is to know about the business.
Hone your skills
The fact that you are passionate about something doesn’t necessarily mean your skills are fully equipped to embark on a professional journey. Commercial markets require nothing short of excellence in everything. There will be competition and you need to have some edge. Look for ways to improve your skills. Master them by practicing repeatedly. Your passion already gives an unrivaled advantage. You are going to succeed eventually if you put in the work. Trust in your abilities; you got this.
Save some money
Building new business takes time. Your new business won’t start flourishing from day one; it takes time before everything will pick steam. You have to build customers trust first before money will start flowing in. While waiting on things to pick up, you got bills to take care of. The money you saved should be able to sustain you for the time being. Save money that can sustain you for at least six month.
Patience and resilience
Your passion may never fetch you money from the get go. New things take time before they become success. This is why you must be warned about the challenges you may encounter along the road. You are going to work but money may not be flowing in. there will be failures and rejections; they are inevitable in business and life in general. You must have the patience to carry on and keep up the good work. Better days lie ahead. You must be consistent and hard working. Talent is never enough.
Stay grounded
Often times, when you are passionate about something, you become obsess with it. That obsession can land you in unfortunate situations if things don’t go your way in the business. You may be willing to go any extent to make things work. Sometimes, you can find yourself breaking ethical boundaries that could land you in serious trouble. Also, there is a research that indicated that obsessive passion can lead to anxiety attacks, burnout, and depression. You have to try and maintain a level head. No matter the challenges that may unravel along the way, don’t let them get the better of you. Be patient with progress.
