You talk about it, dream it and obsess about it. You know it would make you happier, healthier and keep you growing. It is what you would want to do; it is your passion.
The reality, however, is that your to-do list is getting longer as the projects you start go unfinished. You make resolutions you are unable to keep. You are constantly stressed out. You are always procrastinating and have little motivation.
So, here comes the million dollar question. Is what you are doing actually what you want?
You work fills a large part of your life. How many hours on average do you spend working?
The only way to be truly happy is to do something that you love doing.
If you work out the number of hours you work each year, it will be an incredibly massive amount of time. Especially if it is spent on something that is anything less than satisfying, that does not inspire you at all and that you have no motivation to do.
How to Tell Whether You Love What You’re Doing
Passion and purpose – the shortest way to describe what you love.
Loving your work means that you are not just working for a paycheck. Work is more fulfilling, and it makes you feel that you can make a difference in the world.
However, finding what you love doing can be difficult. Some people search forever.
Some of us, after gaining skills and talents, discover we are great at our jobs. Others, even after building successful businesses, live with the feeling that they would rather be doing something else.
Are you just going through the typical challenges in your work or are you not doing what you would love to be doing? Read on to find out.
How productive are you?
When you are doing something you love doing, you are much more productive. Waking up in the morning is not a problem.
When you love your work, you view success in terms of fulfillment and gratification, not just money. You enjoy attending meetings because you like to be at the center of thoughtful decision making discussions. You are excited to make changes happen.
Conversely, if you are grinding, you find yourself wasting a lot of time.
Even though you may start the day with the best of intentions, by the time you get home you will not be sure where the day went. And this is the saddest fact of all because time is the most valuable resource. If you are throwing your time away just getting by, you may need a change.
Related: 4 Ideas for Side Hustles You Can Start This Weekend
Are you inspired to take risks?
Your passion inspires you to take risks.
When working on something you love, you are not afraid to make decisions that may not necessarily translate to financial gain.
When faced with a choice between happiness and a higher salary, the risk of the lower salary pays off. Also, it is because of the search for fulfillment that people venture into unknown.
Passion leads people on a pursuit of opportunities that benefit people not only professionally but also personally. It has also given many people the impetus to break out and go it alone. Indeed many successful businesses were conceived because of people who took risks in the pursuit of their passion.
Feelings of fear of failure fade in the presence of passion.
Starting a business or becoming a freelancer comes with complications of taxes, budgets, bills and insurance, but along with these hurdles are payoffs far greater than you can enjoy sticking the safe route.
On the contrary, working to merely make ends meet leads to working for survival.
Instead of thinking of conquering obstacles, people look forward to making it through the day. You will view success through how many promotions you have racked up, how much you are earning, instead of how many opportunities you can seize for the business to expand.
People who pursue their passion will tell you that the risk of doing nothing is actually a bigger risk than pursuing your purpose.
Do you find solutions or gripe about problems?
When doing what you love, you become obsessed with details, planning, and processes of the project.
Purpose places you right at the center of the responsibility, and you become fully consumed seeking the success of the project.
On contrary people who are merely grinding are spectators, watching things happen. They feel uninspired and lack even a little spark of creativity to solve any problems. They are mired in negativity, and they are always distracted.
Question: How often do you say or think ‘can’t, won’t, and shouldn’t? You will also hardly have any result and you will be full of excuses. Are you always blaming circumstances and other people for your shortcomings? Yep, you know you need to leave and go find your passion.
If you are still grinding and wasting away in a job you do not particularly like, we are not here to judge you. Breaking out to follow your passion is not easy. When you start moving towards your dreams you will encounter fear in all its forms.
This is how the map of life carved by fear looks like:
- You think about what you really want to do
- You think about a 100 reasons why you can’t do it
- You think about what will happen if you try and it doesn’t work out
- You get overwhelmed, and you go back to your unfulfilled life
A little motivation for you
- There is not a single successful person who has not faced fear. If you do not conquer your fears, they pile up to become regrets for a lifetime.
- You can do what you love and make a decent living at it
- The best way to start doing what you love is to start small. You could start with a side gig
You can do what you love to do. We know you can. Who says you can’t? Responsibilities? Time? Other people? You can always make time: wake up earlier, change your priorities, think outside the box, and if you want it strongly enough, you will find a way.
About The Author
Christopher created the website RedesigningTheMind to get to the bottom of our relationship with ourselves and how the world sees us.