You Just Got to Do Your Passion

Do you feel stuck in your job?

IN LIFE THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS that we really like to do and yet for one reason or the other we are not doing it. We say to ourselves that no one is to blame. We are stuck because certain circumstances exist and we do not have a choice.

Honestly, how many of us are stuck in our day jobs just to earn a living? Just to make ends meet, how many of us are practically forced to compete in that never ending rat race everyday and render forty hours of work in an office where we are not truly happy? It seems like an hour is a month of waiting in that desk. When the clock strikes five in the afternoon, how many of us are racing to punch our time cards eager to get home or do something we really like to do?

There are just too many excuses why we cannot do our passion. If given the chance, perhaps a lot of us would travel around the world. Hey, who wouldn’t want to do that? Have you met someone who would not want to travel around the world? But due to either lack of funds or time or both, one cannot just drop everything and go. Many of us are all stuck in our jobs for the sake of money.

How about making things simple like the "passion for writing". Many would like to write a novel for example or pursue a career in writing. But since the "earnings" of being a writer are not enough to cover the daily expenses, not everyone can call it quits and pursue such passion. Not all of us have that luxury of time and resources to write or be a writer. Thus, many aspiring writers are stuck in their day jobs and that "passion for writing" is shelved for eternity.

Be thankful for having a job?

Well, in the present state of our economy some will say to be thankful for “just having a job”. At least, you are not out of work. While you work in a job you hate at least there is something for the family’s table. But as you continue working in that job for years, there is that feeling that you wasted the best years of your life because of the need to earn a living. And after taking that retirement money, you no longer have the strength to do what you really love to do.

Life will not wait

Life will definitely not wait. You cannot demand mother time to slow down as you are trying to survive. Sooner or later there would come a time that you have to do what you really love to do or everything would be too late.

Since life will not wait, you have to find and do your “passion” ASAP. The moment you find your passion, pursue it relentlessly. Life is not living if you do not do something you are passionate about.

Meaning of passion

When I say "passion" it is something that you are really and actually interested in doing. It is something you do from your heart. Doing something you are passionate about means doing something not for the sake of living or surviving. It is a fulfillment of what you heart desires.

Do not be afraid of failing in the pursuit of your passion

We may fail in the pursuit of our passion but it should not deter us. Do not be afraid of failure once you decided to pursue your passion. Failure is just a step to reach your goal. It is nothing but an opportunity to learn on how to pursue your passion.

• Passion is something you are really and actually interested in doing. It is what your heart desires to do.
• Life will not wait - you got to find your passion ASAP.
• Once you find your passion pursue it relentlessly.
• If you desire true happiness you got to pursue your passion.
• Do not be afraid to fail in the pursuit of your passion.
• Failure should not deter you from pursuing your passion. Rather, your should learn from it on how to pursue your passion.
• If you are passionate about your work, it usually results to something "great".
• If you cannot leave your job to pursue your passion, practice "time management".
• If you are really passionate about something, there is always a way.
• Life is not living if you are not doing what you are passionate about.
• Do your passion before you kick the bucket.

Find your Passion

I think you have heard or read about Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford Graduating Class of 2005, where he said, “You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.”

That speech of Steve Jobs has been repeatedly cited and quoted in several publications. It has been interpreted as the meaning of following your passion in life. If we do not love what we do, our work can be satisfactory but it is not great work. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do” – I think Mr. Jobs said it right. Without loving what we do, we do not create great work. What we create is something substandard or merely for compliance purposes.

Continue doing what you love

Of course, when we do what we love it does not mean that we create something "great" at once. While we do what we are passionate about, our work will still have to go through a “polishing process” before we can create something “great”. What is important is that we follow our passion and we continue doing what we love. When our work is our passion, no matter the challenges, the obstacles, and how much time we need to invest, we will keep moving forward. It would then usually result to something "great" in the end.

Should you now drop everything to pursue your passion?

Well, this is the difficult part. Maybe at this point you are thinking that the words - “follow your passion” and “do what your heart desires” - are nothing but idealistic rhetorical statements. Following one’s passion is easy if money is not an issue. But when you got to work for the money pursuing one’s passion is better said than done.

But again time will not wait. If you really desire true happiness, you got to pursue your passion before you kick the bucket. If you do not want to waste your entire life in that office where you spend forty hours a week as an overworked and underpaid employee – it is about time to pursue that “thing” that truly makes you happy.

If you really need that job without which you will not survive a week, try time management. Schedule activities that you are really passionate about. If you are passionate about fishing, give it time. If mountain climbing makes you happy consider it as part of your schedule. Do not wait until your too old to make that climb. If you are really passionate about something there is always a way. Even once in your entire life, you got to do something you really love.