Turn your passion into your profession
Albert Einsten, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek, Walt Disney, Will Smith. What do all these people have in common? They all have a passion for what they do. Can that be one of the main reasons why the most successful people in the world are prosperous and wealthy?
During his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, Steve Jobs, reminded us how important it is to love what you do and that the chances of anyone reaching exceptional heights on a global scale are slim to none if you see your activity as a chore or something that you 'have to' do.
Steve is no longer with us but his words echo in all of us. You can watch his speech here.During his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, Steve Jobs, reminded us how important it is to love what you do and that the chances of anyone reaching exceptional heights on a global scale are slim to none if you see your activity as a chore or something that you 'have to' do.
The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you are still a rat.
Is it not our fault that we are OK with being "OK"? In a dead-end job, living in worse than optimal conditions, accepting our own low standards for ourselves, willing to live to pay the bills and hopelessly wait for the 20 something days of annual leave holiday? Is it not our fault that we do not believe that we are destined for more, that we could do more and be more for ourselves and the others around us? We often look at other people and compare the little we know about ourselves with the little we see from them.
I quietly hear you say: "But, I don't know what my passion is. I don't know what I want to do with my life. But I sure hope that what I am doing now isn't that." Fear not, my friends, for this is the first step and it is the easiest. The most likely reason why you don’t know what is it that you love doing or what your passion is is simply because you haven’t found it yet, you haven’t tried enough things and likely you haven’t experimented. You have been too afraid to get out of what you know and try something new.
The best problem to have is one of exploration, discovery and trying new things. Do your best to bring back the child in you and ignore the echo of your parents' voices telling you 'You can't earn money this way'. Nowadays, for good or bad, children are making money playing computer games while live-streaming to digital crowds of more than 60 000 people at any one time. Keep an open mind and explore what brings you joy and satisfaction.
I quietly hear you say: "But, I don't know what my passion is. I don't know what I want to do with my life. But I sure hope that what I am doing now isn't that." Fear not, my friends, for this is the first step and it is the easiest. The most likely reason why you don’t know what is it that you love doing or what your passion is is simply because you haven’t found it yet, you haven’t tried enough things and likely you haven’t experimented. You have been too afraid to get out of what you know and try something new.
The best problem to have is one of exploration, discovery and trying new things. Do your best to bring back the child in you and ignore the echo of your parents' voices telling you 'You can't earn money this way'. Nowadays, for good or bad, children are making money playing computer games while live-streaming to digital crowds of more than 60 000 people at any one time. Keep an open mind and explore what brings you joy and satisfaction.
Chase your dreams.
You know your passion, your hobby and the things that you love to do but you don't believe there is any money in it? Oh, I know how difficult it is to make a career in singing or the miserable living you can make as an artist and the fact that only the "lucky" 1% make it.
Jim Carrey tells us about the lessons he learnt from his father when he was young. His father wanted to be a comedian but knowing how difficult it is to make a living, he chose the safe option to become an accountant and after 20 years of working as an accountant he was made redundant and competely unable to provide for his family. This was one of the best lessons he could have given Jim: "You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”
It is hard. Only a fool will tell you otherwise. Remember that nothing easy is worth celebrating. For all the success you see behind Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Elon Musk there are hundreds of failed attempts and these failures are what makes us successful. And the only difference between what you do now and what you could do is that when you don’t do what you love you get tired and worn out. You get sick of doing the same repetitive minuscule task with the same people you don’t like only to earn the money you believe you deserve to live a ‘happy life’. You only do this so that you can keep on getting the things that you have now and to look forward towards your next holiday, the next runaway, for a weekend or even a week. This is known as 'Destination Disease'. You spend your life trading your time, 8 hours at a time, for a salary. You either work on your dream or you get hired to work on someone else’s dream. Chase YOUR dream.
Jim Carrey tells us about the lessons he learnt from his father when he was young. His father wanted to be a comedian but knowing how difficult it is to make a living, he chose the safe option to become an accountant and after 20 years of working as an accountant he was made redundant and competely unable to provide for his family. This was one of the best lessons he could have given Jim: "You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”
It is hard. Only a fool will tell you otherwise. Remember that nothing easy is worth celebrating. For all the success you see behind Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Elon Musk there are hundreds of failed attempts and these failures are what makes us successful. And the only difference between what you do now and what you could do is that when you don’t do what you love you get tired and worn out. You get sick of doing the same repetitive minuscule task with the same people you don’t like only to earn the money you believe you deserve to live a ‘happy life’. You only do this so that you can keep on getting the things that you have now and to look forward towards your next holiday, the next runaway, for a weekend or even a week. This is known as 'Destination Disease'. You spend your life trading your time, 8 hours at a time, for a salary. You either work on your dream or you get hired to work on someone else’s dream. Chase YOUR dream.
Make a decision.
Tony Robbins is famous for saying: “When would NOW be the right time to do this?” I would like to ask you: How much more time do you have to wait? What if tomorrow never comes? Isn't it strange how different we say we would behave if we knew we only had a week to live? Nobody I know is immortal but we do tend to live as if we have an unlimited amount of time, postponing plans and waiting for things to get better.
Make a decision now and take that first step: buy that guitar, call that person, sign up to that class, start exercising once a week and you will be surprised how much easier than you thought it actually is and slowly you will build the life you want. Lay one brick at a time and soon you will have a wall (not that kind of wall).
Make a decision now and take that first step: buy that guitar, call that person, sign up to that class, start exercising once a week and you will be surprised how much easier than you thought it actually is and slowly you will build the life you want. Lay one brick at a time and soon you will have a wall (not that kind of wall).
Stop complaining.
Complaining doesn’t make you any better, it changes nothing and what's more important - nobody actually cares. It’s easy to be the victim. Nobody likes a victim. We all like heroes and that's why Hollywood films are full of them. We like their stories - how they overcame difficulty only to become great, despite their fears, adversities and limiting beliefs.
Something to get you started.
I know that some of you are still sceptical if this is really possible for you. How can you work full time and pursue your dreams? How can you fit all that work into 24 hours? The rat race keeps you tightly in its claws - I have been there. I would like to turn your attention to probably one of the best book on the subject if it is possible:
The $100 Startup: Fire Your Boss, Do What You Love and Work Better To Live More
This book is a New York Times bestseller written by Chris Guillebeau. It tells the story of 50 ordinary people who found a way to live on their own terms, work when and where they want while achieving the perfect blend of passion and income all with a starting capital of $100 or less.
I would love to hear your feedback on the book as I found it both empowering and inspiring as well as informative with numerous examples of how people have approached the start of their new business. Chris has spent more than a decade gathering data and collating information from people who have left their jobs to pursue their dreams.
I would love to hear your feedback on the book as I found it both empowering and inspiring as well as informative with numerous examples of how people have approached the start of their new business. Chris has spent more than a decade gathering data and collating information from people who have left their jobs to pursue their dreams.
I would strongly recommend this book as a must-read for anyone dissatisfied with their current job and considering starting their own business. Short disclaimer: I am not paid for this endorsement and do not receive any financial reward if you purchase the book.
What's your story? Who are you?
Find what you love, make it your mission and get obsessed with it and I guarantee you your life will be an extraordinary adventure. What's your story? Drop me an e-mail on [email protected] as I always like to hear a good success story.
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If you have found this article helpful you can subscribe for more articles or if you know anyone who might benefit from this article feel free to share it with the social media buttons below. I am not looking to sell you anything but if you do want to have a chat or get your complimentary strategy session fill in your details below and I will get back to you.