What If We Encouraged Passion

What If We Encouraged Passion

Growing up with an entrepreneur mama, passion was normalized in my house. I got older I realized that passion was such a foreign thing to people. At 18 years old I was running my own company and living my passion. People were in awe that I found something I loved to do, and I was making money to support myself. Now it wasn't all daisies and sunshine there were lots of up and downs, and I even gave it all up to go work a 'regular' job for a few years.

Those few years of working of regular jobs I realized I had lost something. I lost passion for what I was doing. That fire that used to keep me up at night writing business goals, creating new crazy ideas was gone. That drive to make a difference and contribute something to this big beautiful world was gone. It took realizing that my passion was gone to make question what I was doing with my life.

I'm sure we all remember being in grade school responding to the questions "What do you want to be when you grow up?". The response to this question is always the craziest and funny things ever. It seems so out there. Of course, I'm sure you've heard "you can do anything you set your mind to" and the good ole "you can do/be anything you want." line. Growing up you have been able to paint this magical picture in your head. A picture of being able to do anything you want in your life. Then the 'real world' hits you like a punch in the gut. Suddenly your dreams go out the window it's your last year of high school, and you are applying for colleges. You are choosing from a list of predefined majors that will likely determine what you will be doing for the rest of your life.

How is a seventeen or eighteen-year-old supposed to be able to be able to choose the right choice for a career? At this age, you are still finding yourself. You don't have enough life experience to know what you want to do for the rest of your life. That's not only outrageous that this has become the 'normal,' but it's sad that we aren't teaching people to live their passion.

You are pretty much expected to take out an enormous amount of debt in hopes that the job land after completing your degree will provide you a stable enough income to able to pay it off meanwhile supporting yourself and your family. You will forever be working to work just to stay afloat for a job that is there to pay the bills.

Society standards looks something like this: Go To School Get Good Grades Go To College Get Job Buy Home Get Married Have Babies Work To Support Your Family Pay Off Debt

Go back to that 2nd grader you being asked about what you wanted to be when you grew up. Remember back to the excitement in your entire being as you spouted out something a little crazy, but it was something you loved at that time. It was something you were passionate about. Now, I'm not saying you need to become a "magical rockstar unicorn princess dancer" like you wanted to back then. (Though if you do power to ya). Try and channel that passion into something you can do today.

As people, we are contently growing and changing. It's not uncommon for our loves and passions to change as we age. Think about how many people you know (or maybe even you) that are going to a job every day and HATE it. Or maybe they don't HATE it but they don't LOVE it. Working for a boss who is using you as a worker bee for his/her own gain, being just another body on the corporate ladder. Even if those people in the ever so common rat race are making decent money, what is money if they aren't happy? What happened to the quality of life? There is a difference between getting a 'good job' and a 'job you love.'

Our definition of success is severely broken. Success is often defined by 'stuff' having a big house or driving a fancy car. But in reality, that's not a success at all. Success is waking up every day grateful for the little things. Success is being surrounded by people who uplift you and encourage you to be you. Success is living within your means and not taking on debt for material items. Success is being true to who you are always. Success is being passionate about the work you do every day. Success is making a difference.

What if Society Standard Looked Something Like This Instead: Go To School Get Good Grades < Study Things You're Interested In Go To College < Travel and Experience The World Get Job < Find Your Passion Buy Home < Have An Affordable Roof Over Your Head Get Married < Find Love Have Babies < Surround Yourself With People You Love Work To Support Your Family < Work A Job Every day You LOVE Pay Off Debt < Live Within Your Means And Debt Free

So to the eighteen-year-old kid wondering if you are about to pick the right major. Slow down. Think. Don't feel like you have to rush into something just because it's 'the normal.' Take time to travel and find yourself. Explore your passions and figure out how to monetize them. Work a few jobs. See what it feels like to work for someone else. There is nothing wrong with going to college. But before you sign up for all those courses, debt and time you will want to make sure that you have a passion for it and it's something you can see yourself doing and growing with for a long time.

To the middle-aged person sitting at their nine to five desk job counting down the hours until you can go home. I ask what. What is your passion? What is something that lights you up inside? Something you do for fun or as a hobby. It is possible to create your dream job with little to no money and a whole lot of determination. Research. Anybody can be an entrepreneur, but entrepreneurship isn't for everyone. It takes self-motivation, drive, patience, common sense, and of course passion.

So what if instead of encouraging 'success' as society sees it what if we encouraged passion. What if we all lived within our means and didn't have a crazy debt to worry about. What if we were all happy. What if the new normal was being happy every day at work because you truly loved it. What if you could answer the question of 'what is your dream job' with the job you are doing RIGHT NOW.