Do you go to sleep at night dreading the next day?
Are you more concerned with making money than you are for your own happiness?
I am amazed at how many conversations I witness where the entire content is filled with complaints about their job. As I listen to lack of enthusiasm and perceived hatred for the occupation or company these people count on to sustain their lives, it baffles me as to why they’d continue to put themselves in such a horrific position.
Of course I say that a little tongue in cheek, as I completely understand why people continue to put themselves in a situation that brings them no joy. I’ve found it’s one of three reasons:
The first type of person likes to moan and complain about everything. They aren’t really interested in being happy so there’s not much that can be done for them.
The second type has been unhappy for so long they’ve simply become numb to it. After all…they need to pay their bills somehow.
The third type are the people who feel trapped and simply don’t know what else to do. They feel forced into selling out and doing what they hate so they can support their families. I believe this is the stage they stay in for a while, then shift right into the model above where they become numb and simply give up.
I don’t believe anyone should spend their time working in a career that they hate. You may think I’m strange, but I don’t believe we should EVER work for money! I believe you should NEVER pursue anything as a career that you aren’t passionate about, and when you’ve completely lost that passion you should either take a break or find another passion to pursue.
I’m sure you’re thinking, “Yeah right! If it was only that easy!” Well, I’m here to you that it absolutely is.
You need to simply make a decision and stick to it. The reward is…you’ll never find yourself being weighed down with negative thoughts and emotions or having to live with the realization that you sold out.
If living with that isn’t enough, the following are four other reasons why you should turn your passion into a career.
- You spend more time “working” than you do with your loved ones. When you really break it down, you spend more than 25% of your available weekly hours at work. To think that spending that much time being unhappy won’t bleed over and affect the quality of your relationships with your loved ones is insane. If not selling out isn’t reason enough to do what you love, how about protecting the quality of your most important and valued relationships?
- You will be more confident in all areas of your life. It’s not possible to have confidence if you consistently place yourself in an unhappy situation. You’ll never be excellent at something that you don’t enjoy and therefore will always be wondering when your “boss” will tire of your sub-par work. Doing what you love and are passionate about will keep your interest and attention. This focus will help your proficiency and ultimately your confidence.
- You will never be at a loss for motivation. I don’t know about you but the worst feeling in the world to me was when I used to wake up faced with the daunting task of leaving the warmth of my bed to go do something I disliked for eight hours. The beauty of pursuing your passion is that you’ll NEVER have to search for motivation. You’ll find yourself waking up before your alarm rearing to go!
- You will be much more healthy and energetic. The biggest issue with deciding to pursue a career that makes you unhappy is the stress you’ll have to face because of it. The only thing stress causes is disease and death. If you don’t believe me…talk to a doctor or do a little research. If you make the decision to ONLY pursue your passion, you’ll eliminate a huge portion of your stress and therefore you’ll be happier and your energy level won’t be drug down by depression.
I understand I’ve made some harsh statements in this post, but does it really help to sugar coat the truth? If you’ve read something here that touches a nerve, I only hope it helps give you a push to make a change that ultimately improves the quality of your life. I’m not saying it won’t be a lot of work, but how much work is it to do what you hate every day? 🙂
pbrand is the co-founder of MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry. He’s an expert on Internet marketing and building businesses.