A seemingly unlimited web of chances in today's hyperconnected, ever-shrinking globe is both energizing and overwhelming us at the same time. When it comes to choosing a career path, whether we're approaching graduation or just trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives, we often hear the same thing: "What are you passionate about?"
Identifying your passion and how it connects to your profession, on the other hand, can be difficult at best and misleading at worst. Here are a few things to think about when figuring out how your "passion" fits into your job path.
Passions Can Change
What you're passionate about right now might not be what you're passionate about in five, ten, or twenty years. While there's certainly something to be said for developing your talents and pursuing your passions on a personal level, putting all of your professional eggs in one basket assumes that you'll always be passionate about the same thing. The situation above may prevent you from exploring new fields and activities that could lead to new opportunities.
Passion Doesn't Indicate Market Opportunity.
Everyone wants to spend their time doing something they enjoy, which makes them feel inspired. But your career is about more than emotional satisfaction. A successful career provides stability and financial security, too. Before diving into a niche career in pursuit of passion, survey the market. What types of jobs are available? What are the opportunities for growth? Does the average compensation in this field align with your vision for your future lifestyle? If your research indicates that pursuing your passion will leave you underpaid and overworked, likely, you won't find the enjoyment you're seeking.
Your Passion May Not Align With Your Strengths
Let's say you're passionate about music, and you've decided to pursue music as a career path. You've brainstormed a list of possible jobs you could land with a music degree, and "music teacher" is on that list. However, have you considered how your strengths align with the qualities that make a good teacher? Are you passionate about teaching — or just about the music? Having your "passion" blinders on can sometimes keep you from genuinely evaluating the career choice at hand. Make sure you've considered all the angles.
Your Passion Will Become Your Job
Building a career around a field or subject, you're passionate about is a win-win situation in an ideal world. You get to do something you enjoy while also being compensated for it. Making your passion your daily grind, on the other hand, might turn it into just that: a struggle. Remember that a career is more than a passion while considering your career options. A successful job necessitates dedication, accountability, and a willingness to adapt and grow.
Passion fuels your motivation.
First, passion fuels your motivation. Often, people fail to achieve the success they desire because they lack motivation.
In the beginning, they are so motivated with their newly set goals. Most people are driven in the early phase when they first start a project.
But after a while, when they don't get the results they want or don't see any returns as have expected, they start to lose steam.
People will lose interest in their project/goal when they fail to produce any significant success from their hard work. When you start to lose your drive, you will put in less effort, which leads to fewer results.
And this is why most people give up in the end. They fail to sustain their motivation over the long term.
You must realize that success is a marathon, not a sprint. As a result, you must understand how to develop long-term motivation to support your efforts.
And one of the best ways to stay motivated is to have a passion for what you do; This is why, when you are enthusiastic about something, you are more likely to stay motivated for more extended periods, increasing your chances of success.
A professional mentor can assist you in determining what your career path should entail. You can find a mentor who has walked a similar approach and can help you figure out where to go from here, whether you're pursuing your passion or developing the skills for a successful profession – or both! You could learn more advice for any self-development topics and consult with us! Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram @baikgp and @ayureadypodcast if you want to get more information and extra insights.