Why You Should Pursue Your Passion

A young man in his mid-to-late 30s was toiling away in an aluminum hot-rolling mill. His job as an area manager paid well and provided for his young family, but the job tormented him. When asked what his passion was, he responded without hesitating, “Playing the saxophone in a jazz band!” The person who asked him the question probed further, “Then what’s stopping you?” That question jarred him into reality and he gave his notice that very day to do what he truly loved.

Another man had given his life to building homes as an independent contractor. But the economic downturn in 2008 woke him up to the fact that building houses was not his passion. Instead, he went back to college and became a licensed professional counselor. Now he loves helping people rebuild their lives and marriages.

How about you? Are you pursuing your passion?

No doubt you’ve heard the quote, “Do what you love, and the money will follow.” Most probably take that to mean that if you pursue your passion, you’ll make the big bucks. While that may be true for some, there’s no guarantee that pursuing your passion will make you rich—at least not financially. But there are other ways to measure wealth than a bank account.

What Happens When You Don’t Pursue Your Passion

While pursuing your passion may not make you rich, here’s what you can look forward to if you DON’T pursue your passion:

1.   Work is just a job
A job is a money-making distraction that keeps you from doing what you really want to do. I’m not just talking about working 9-to-5 for someone else. You can find yourself in a life-sucking job even as an entrepreneur if you’re not pursuing your passion. 

2.   Money is all that’s keeping you in a job
A job’s primary purpose is to provide money. Oh, we may rationalize that the job has intrinsic value and that you’re serving others, or is that just a way of rationalizing your discontent? Money is important, but by itself it is quite unsatisfying. 

3.   Your heart isn’t in it
Just like the guy who longed to play saxophone in a jazz band, having to engage in something for most of your life that gives you neither joy nor pleasure is tragic. Why dedicate your life to that?

4.   You’re wasting what you could be giving to the world
Think about something sober: as you near the end of your life, which do you want to be known for: being a good employee, or leaving a legacy for others? What is it you’re withholding from the world by not pursuing your passion?

5.   You give in to your fears
Fears are typically what keep us from pursuing our passion. But living one’s life in fear is no way to experience life to the fullest. Fear is the biggest threat to action.

What Happens When You Pursue Your Passion?

Okay, let’s flip the question and investigate what happens when you pursue your passion:

1.   You’re all in!
By its very definition, when you pursue your passion you’re totally engaged. You give it your all, because this is what you’re passionate about. 

2.   It makes work fun!
When you’repursuing your passion, nobody has to twist your arm to get you to work. You’re not watching the clock longing for the workday to end. You thoroughly enjoy what you’re doing. And when you’re having fun, creativity flourishes.

3.   You’re giving people your best!
When you’re pursuing your passion, it’s easy to do your very best work. There’s no fudging to just get by, or feeble attempts to appease a boss. You’re doing top work. Zig Ziglar said, “Duty makes us do things well, but love [or passion] makes us do them beautifully.” 

4.   Your passion, not money becomes your focus!
When your life is focused on making money, money becomes your master. And money is a very unsatisfying master. Instead, by pursuing your passion you serve the very thing you love. That makes work easy and a delight.

5.   You enjoy a great sense of purpose and fulfillment!
Because this is your passion, you know how it will benefit others. There’s nothing more fulfilling than meeting the needs of others and contributing to their joy and wellbeing.  

While pursuing your passion isn’t automatically the path to financial wealth, it is the most likely path to take you there. Successful entrepreneurs make money doing the things they’re passionate about. Nobody gets rich drudging about doing work they only tolerate.

Read in my upcoming Blog how I can help you in your personal and business life.

So, what’s your passion and how will you pursue it?