Career Monday: Following your passion

When we were younger we had dreams of who we wanted to become when we grew older. Now that we are grown, we most probably are working, running our own businesses or hoping to get into that space. Are you passionate about what you do? Do you love what you are currently doing? Today we are talking about the value of following your heart and doing what you love to do.

1. You don’t feel like you are working: When you are passionate about what you do, it doesn’t feel like work to you. That doesn’t mean that you won’t work hard, infact you may even work harder as you are enjoying your work. You will have enthusiasm for what you do.
2. You only have one life: Life is short. Don’t settle and do what you feel everyone is doing. It is important to soul-search and find out what makes you fulfilled and excited and follow it full-force. As a young person, make the most of the time and resources you have right now, you don’t want to live in regret later on.
3. You become more persistent: When you are pursuing what you love, you naturally become persistent. You are willing to make it work even when faced with obstacles. You think of ways on how you can progress, therefore developing persistence.
4. You’ll ignore negativity: There will be people who will try to stop you, sometimes making you feel that your ‘crazy dreams’ are not achievable. It is very important to remained focused and not listen to naysayers. When you are passionate about what you do, you will be able to ignore the negativity and press on, regardless.
5. Your dreams will become a reality: Slowly, just like building a house, as you work on them, your dreams become actualized. By doing what you love, you are already realizing your dream. This also helps you remained focused and achieve so much more that you have ever imagined.

Maybe you are not in your dream career for one reason or another eg responsibilities etc. It’s never too later. You can still start today; follow your heart and pursue what you love on the side. Work hard on it and who knows, you may transition into doing it full-time.