Turn your passion into a career!
Picture this: 6 days a week, for the next 25 years, you crawl out of bed around 5:30 in the morning, chug a quick cup of coffee, head out the door. You hurry to your car, but to no avail, since you end up rolling down the highway at only 10 mph. Your ears are bombarded with a shower of cacophonous honks and the first curse words of the day; it's early morning bumper-to-bumper traffic (which most people can't stand but you have learned to deal with after so many years of enduring it). "Besides," you think to yourself, "every minute I spend in traffic is another minute I'm not at work, right?" But just as soon as that thought pops in your head, you get to your building. You take your steps as slowly as you can--and not wanting to arrive a second too early, you keep one eye on your watch while the other looks intently at something on the ground, as making eye contact with anyone would mean another dull 20 minute conversation, and another 20 minutes you have to spend working at the end of the day. Finally, you arrive there; to that dusty, encapsulating, claustrophobia-inducing space they call an office.I have never really been afraid of heights, or spiders, or snakes...but I sure as hell am afraid of that. When I started college, I saw so many of my peers on this path to an unfulfilling career, and I made a decision that I would never let it happen to me.
A career is something that will be a part of you for the rest of your life...it will actually define you as a person. So in a sense, hating your career means hating yourself. And by the same token, you will spend just as much time working (and maybe more) as you do with your spouse. I can't imagine marrying someone I hated.
Passion creates success: if you truly desire a career doing what you love, you will be driven to succeed in this path, and regardless of what happens, you will know that you worked to your potential. Whereas, if you spend day after day at a job you hate, you won't ever be motivated enough to put any love into your work. A "typical job" may start off being more stable, offering more benefits, but these are so minuscule compared to the satisfaction of knowing you love your work. Instead, you will go on in your life with all of these insatiable desires, wondering, "What's missing?". When you do what you love, money will come: It sounds cliche, but it's very true. I don't understand why money has become the deciding factor in searching for a career. So many people say, "I will be a doctor, they make good money." There is money everywhere, for musicians, tight-rope walkers, video game players, anyone who has the desire to make it work. Money is only a by-product of commitment to passion. This is the day and age where you can really do just about anything you want and make a living doing it. Take advantage of that. There are no guarantees: Everyone is always saying, "stability, stability!" They truly believe that going to an Ivy League school, or majoring in something like law or medicine will get you a job, no problem. Not true! In fact, a surprising percentage of people with Ivy League Bachelor's degrees, even with Masters degrees are finding it difficult to get a job. While parents and teachers often like to believe that this sort of education is the only way to live a healthy life, it's not true! Freedom is your most valuable asset: You should always keep your freedom, there is no need to be a slave to the world of money, to a boss. When you think about it, there isn't much difference between sitting in a cubicle 8 hours a day and sitting in a jail cell, except that you get some money afterwards. But what if you could get back that 8 hours, and really live during that 8 hours? That's like getting 1/3 of your life back.The "right path" isn't necessarily the conventional one, it's not always the obvious one, and it might not even be the flashiest one. But it is the path that gives you a reason to wake up in the morning, that really gives you a sense of excitement to think about. It's the path that makes you a little bit scared and uncomfortable, which is okay, because if you commit to it, you can make all your dreams come true. The Con List: There is only one reason not to pursue your passion: fear of failure. It's that voice in your head that says, "This is crazy, I can never make this work", or "I'm not good enough". Everyone has that voice of doubt, but the successful are those who pursue their dreams anyways. If you want to make it work, you will. Take control of your life, because that's what it is...YOUR life. Start living it the way you have always dreamed, and if you are going to dream, dream big. Follow your passion, take your risks, and at the very worst, if you succumb to failure, you can always pick up that 9-5 job a little later (though I personally shudder just thinking about it). If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in: Musicians can have stable careers too! - Don't give up on music just because people tell you it's "unstable". Learn the facts first.
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