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4 Reasons You Should Turn Your Passion Into a Career
Do you go to sleep at night dreading the next day?
Are you more concerned with making money than you are for your own happiness?
I am amazed at how many conversations I witness where the entire content is filled with complaints about their job. As I listen to the lack of enthusiasm and perceived hatred for the occupation, or company they count on to sustain their lives, it baffles me as to why they’d continue to put themselves in such a horrific position.
Now of course I say that a little tongue in cheek as I completely understand why people continue to put themselves in a situation that brings them no joy. I’ve found it’s one of three reasons.
The first type of person likes to moan and complain about everything. They aren’t really interested in being happy so there’s not much that can be done for them.
The second type has been unhappy for so long they’ve simply become numb to it and after all … they need to pay their bills somehow.
The third type are the people who feel trapped and simply don’t know what else to do. They feel forced into selling out and doing what they hate so they can support their families. I believe this is the stage they stay in for awhile and then shift right into the model above where they become numb and simply give up.
I don’t believe anyone should spend their time working in a career that they hate. You may think I’m strange, but I don’t believe we should EVER work for money! I believe you should NEVER pursue anything as a career that you aren’t passionate about, and when you’ve completely lost that passion you should either take a break, or find another passion to pursue.
I’m sure you’re thinking … “Yeah right! If it was only that easy!” Well, I’m here to you that it absolutely is.
You simply need to make a decision and stick to it. The reward is … you’ll never find yourself being weighted down with negative thoughts and emotions or having to live with the realization that you sold out.
If living with that isn’t enough, the following are four other reasons why you should turn your passion into a career.
- You spend more time “working” than you do with your loved ones. When you really break it down you spend more than 25% of your available weekly hours at work. To think that spending that much time being unhappy won’t bleed over and affect the quality of your relationships with your loved ones, is insane. If not selling out isn’t reason enough to do what you love, how about protecting the quality of your most important and valued relationships.
- You will be more confident in all areas of your life. It’s not possible to have confidence if you consistently place yourself in an unhappy situation. You’ll never be excellent at something you don’t enjoy and therefore will always be wondering when your “boss” will tire of your sub-par work. Doing what you love and are passionate about will keep your interest and attention. This focus will help your proficiency and ultimately your confidence.
- You will never be at a loss for motivation. I don’t know about you but the worse feeling in the world to me was when I used to wake up faced with the daunting task of leaving the warmth of my bed to go do something I disliked for 8 hours. The beauty of pursuing your passion is you’ll NEVER have to search for motivation. You’ll find yourself waking up before your alarm rearing to go!
- You will be much more healthy and energetic. The biggest issue with deciding to pursue a career that makes you unhappy is the stress you’ll have to face because of it. The only thing stress causes is disease and death. If you don’t believe me … go talk to a Dr. or do a little research. If you make the decision to ONLY pursue your passion you’ll eliminate a huge portion of your stress and therefore you’ll be happier and your energy level won’t be drug down by depression.
I understand I’ve made some harsh statements in this post but … does it really help to sugarcoat the truth? If you’ve read something here that touches a nerve, I only hope it helps give you a push to make a change that ultimately improves the quality of your life. I’m not saying it won’t be a lot of work, but how much work is it to do what you hate every day? 🙂
christine dela cruz
i strongly agree that the above reasons are very true. I can say that because i am a full time employee who always moans and complains about my job. Me being the bread winner of the family really need to work hard so i can give them all that they need. Honestly i am working for money and not because i love my job. that is why i decided to do what i want and at the same time earn money (its like hitting 2 birds in one stone) . even though i work in the office 5days a week 14hours a day, i see to it that i still have time to do what i wanna do. Like being an event organizer. outsourcing is where my interest is. So on my rest day, i organize field trips and tours on some school near my place. I love this job so hopefully i can establish this kind of business so i can send my resignation to the company where i am in.. =)
M. Steele
Harsh sentiment or no, I couldn’t agree more. I have a difficult time listening to others who are unhappy in their careers express a hopeless mentality – because I can empathize (we’ve all had jobs we hated), but also because I know that there is another way to be. Take that frustration and channel it into a) identifying your best skills, and b) finding a way to make them marketable in a way that gives you freedom and satisfaction.
To be fair, making a dramatic change can be daunting and risky, and not everyone is equipped to take that kind of risk. I wouldn’t necessarily advise everyone to take the same risks I’ve taken (quitting my full time job the week after I closed on a home mortgage, for example), but I’ve worked hard, and I’ve never regretted my decision to pursue my passion for a second!