Do you really need to be passionate about your chosen career to be effective? Or, can you just go through the motions and complete your check list every day without your ultimate goal or specific passion being fulfilled? Does a lack of passion for your chosen profession mean you can’t be successful?
There are many, many self-help books, articles and videos that encourage people to follow their passion; that you shouldn’t settle on a chosen career unless you are passionate about what you are doing. Well, that seems like a good idea. But what about those who have yet to discover what they are passionate about? How can they survive the daily cost of living? Should they bounce job-to-job, experience-to-experience or person-to-person until they settle on one thing?
Can people be passionate about more than one thing?
Many people are lucky when it comes to discovering what they are passionate about. They found their passion at an early age and grabbed on to it like a dog to a bone. Others, well, they’re still searching for that feeling or interest that will motivate them to “be the best” or “embrace their inner child” or “reach for the stars.” Until that moment, what’s a regular person to do. What if that “thing” never comes or you never have that one true passion? Are you doomed to be a failure?
I am a firm believer that when you embrace a task or job, that you always strive to do your best work. There is great personal satisfaction that comes with finishing a job and knowing that you did good! I also believe that people evolve their passions throughout their lives.
As a child, I had passion for many things…. books, ballet, boys, Barbies, just to name a few. As I moved through my teen years, my love for Barbie waned, but my love for books, ballet and boys stayed in my heart. Now, as I move through my adult years, I still have passion for reading, dance and love – but I have added several other things to the mix like family, kindness, compassion and success.
Can one passion be enough to sustain you throughout your life and career?
Or are multiple passions of varying degrees the norm?
According to Mark Manson in his article Screw Finding Your Passion, “Life is about not knowing then doing something anyway. All of life is like this. All of it. And it’s not going to get any easier just because you found out you love your job cleaning septic tanks or you scored a dream gig writing indie movies.”
He went on to suggest that “if there is some topic or activity or idea that dominates a significant amount of your free time, your conversations, your web browsing, and dominates you without constantly pursuing it or looking for it”, that you have found your passion and are “just ignoring it”.
“The problem isn’t passion. It’s never passion.
It’s priorities.”
Who says you need to make money doing what you love? Since when do you need to feel like you need to love every moment of your job? What is wrong with working at a normal job with good people that you like, and then pursuing your passion(s) in your free time on the side? The issues here are expectations.
“Clarity comes from engagement, not thought,” notes Marie Forleo in her article The Secret to Finding Your Passion (Hint: It’s Not What You Think). She also suggests that “Proactivity brings passion to everything you touch, to everything you do. No matter what the task is in front of you, bring as much enthusiasm and energy to it as you possibly can. Bring your full attention, your full presence, the Godlike quality that each of us has within, to every task in your day.”
Passion is contagious.
If you are working hard, exuding confidence, learning and teaching – then people notice and they want to do the same thing. Combine this type of passion with kicking bad habits such as procrastination, resistance, and complaining and you have a win-win scenario. Don’t forget, at any given moment, if you can’t change WHAT you are doing, you can always change HOW you are doing it!
“Your true passion is not found overnight, but is realized through a series of discoveries of small interests.” Logan Jay
Forget ‘light bulb’, ‘aha’ and ‘Eureka’ moment expectations. There is a process that includes active research, happen-chance, and sub-conscious suggestion. Experiment with new activities or better yet, continue the deep-dive into current experiences and activities. Try visualization.
“Imagine yourself getting up early, jumping out of bed, excited to go to work. You get dressed quickly, full of enthusiasm about your day. The sun is shining and you take those first steps out of your bedroom. Now work out where you are going and what kind of job follows on from that feeling of anticipation.”
(Rebecca Burn-Callander from the article
Eight Ways To Find The True Passion In Life That Has Eluded You.)
My advise, just leap and the net will appear. Your job doesn’t have to be your ultimate passion – but it can be the passion of the moment.
Happy Finding What You Love To Do, Versus What You Have To Do,
Linda