Cash in on Your Passion

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As a child developing in an academic environment, you are always asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The unsuspecting child does not even realize how loaded that question is especially if asked by a parent who missed out on opportunities in their own life.

These children grow up and find themselves in professions or jobs that they believe are positively perceived by society as “respectable” with a supposed high income potential. They have been advised on their careers based on society’s idea of respectable and the expectation of significant earnings. These children have heard stories told to their families and friends, “My son, he wants to be a doctor / lawyer / accountant /engineer”. Over time, the children believe this as well without any significant thought to what they want to do.

Often time, the process to decide what we want our kids to become or what we wanted to do as adults is flawed. We start with the end in mind first and work in reverse. We shortlist jobs/professions that we think will yield the big bucks and or command an air of admiration by others. Then we convince ourselves that we always wanted to be, say an “Actuary”. When and if that day comes that we earn the right of the Actuary title, we then assess ourselves and say “this is the most boring job ever made”. No offence to Actuaries…

As adults, we find ourselves in jobs and professions that bring us stress. We feel overworked, we get easily irritated, we can’t sleep, we may suffer with migraine headaches, we feel drained and it becomes quite challenging to go to work every day.

If you feel like this, there are a number of reasons that can contribute to these feelings. One of which is that maybe you are in the wrong profession. Maybe you should explore those activities that you engage in where you don’t even realize that a whole day has passed quite opposite to the way you count down the hours in your work day. Employers also want to decrease the probability of placing square pegs in round holes.

When we find that special something that ignites our fire, the enthusiasm that flows from our core is unending. Our passion drives us to exceed expectations. Every day that passes that we don’t capitalize on our natural talents and passion, we rob ourselves of the returns that we could be enjoying.

It is never too late to consider a change but sometimes we do have constraints that may not allows us to be flexible to take risks on our sources on income. For the ones who can brave it, go strong?. To our empty nesters, you now have a second chance.

There are many stories where professionals left their jobs to do interior decorating, carpentry, designing, to become a chef, to do landscaping, floral arrangements, to be a personal physical fitness trainer, to work with abused and abandoned children, customize cars, start a daycare and the list goes on and on. Your passion, natural drive and motivation will ensure that whatever you choose to do, you will do it exceptionally well. If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life and you are never in waiting for any thing, the journey is the happiness.

Don’t be that parent who missed out on opportunities in your life to do what you really wanted to do!

Denise Ali

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1 Comment

  1. Georgina TerryMay 13, 2009

    Hi Denise, you have definitely hit on one of the reasons people who society considered successful, somehow do not fill fulfilled. They have pursued what they may be good at, but not what they enjoy.

    One of the coaching programs I offer, helps clients to find their authentic vocation, by exploring their purpose in life, values, motivators, skills, preferences etc. This process not only helps them find the right career or business fit, but also helps them to greatly improve their own self awareness.

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