Following your passion is the key to finding your potential. You will not achieve the latter without pursuing the former.—John C. Maxwell
We have all heard the advice, ‘Find something you like to do so much that you would gladly do it for nothing; then learn to do it so well that people are happy to pay you for it.’
Despite compelling evidence of the truth in this statement, few people seem to heed the advice. Wherever you turn, you will find people seeking fulfilment in life by doing what they loathe and loathing what they do. You will never fulfill your destiny by doing what you despise.
Passion is rarely to be found in preoccupations that we endure or much less hate. It is not to be found in doing what others perceive as best for us, but in influencing those around us to do in an increasing measure what we love to do.
We live in a real world where few employers will carve a job just for your passions. But we would carve it, through proving our competency and moving to make the passionate parts of our job to be the largest part of our job. The market still appreciates and rewards results.
Do you wish to blur the dividing line of work and pleasure? If you do, go to work on your passions. Work hard at developing them. Learn every appropriate skill and relevant knowledge that fortifies the passion from a mere excitement to a core competency. Make it your goal to take the initiative of volunteering your passionate competencies at work.
Even the cynics of the strength revolution will recognise a job well done. They will also notice the ease with which you accomplish assigned tasks. They will eventually conform to the words spoken centuries ago by Solomon, the ancient Israeli King, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”
Achieving this is not an instant affair. It takes a belief in your abilities, a commitment to develop them to finely honed skills, and the risk to serve them to a world that may seem at first very disinterested.
Activating Thought: I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.—Thomas Edison
Written by Anthony Gitonga