Many people spend their working lives with absolutely no passion for their work. If you are still working as you get older, surely this is the time to seek work that involves unleashing some passion in your work.
What does it mean to have passion in your work?
Urban Dictionary defines it in this way:
Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind body and soul into something as is possible.
As a Career Coach I have always advised people to be aware that following your deepest passions as the main element of your career can lead to disillusionment. Music, art and elite sports are good examples of this. If the career path becomes extremely difficult you can end up disliking the work and losing the enjoyment of the passion in your free time. I try to help people find work that fulfills them in some way; work that they care about, using skills that they enjoy using.
But passion, as defined by the Urban Dictionary, is what builds a fascinating and fulfilling career and makes an employee shine or a business succeed.
How to Follow Your Passion In Work
It’s different when you are an older person seeking a different career path. You know what you really care about and what you love to do. If you haven’t had the opportunity in your life to pursue passion in your work, this might be the time in your life when you can safely focus on combining your personal passions and your career.
So how do you achieve this?
Some of us have discovered where our passion lies, and have pursued that path, reaping the rewards of this choice every single day!
Others understand their passion but lack the confidence or resources to make the leap of faith.
Some struggle to identify their passion and need only clarity to define it so that they can wholeheartedly follow it.
Following your passion means separating yourself from commonly accepted definitions of career success. It means using new criteria and discarding the beliefs that “this level of authority, or this level of income” will bring you happiness and success.
Ask yourself “When am I most happy?”
That’s what Michael Gill, author of How Starbucks Saved My Life did. At 53, he was let go from his Fortune 500 career. He had allowed his career to define him but through the years had lost his motivation and enthusiam for his work. After 7 years trying to re-establish his career, he prioritised his personal identity over his professional life and became a Starbuck’s Barista. His five lessons are:
1. Are you happy?
2. Ask yourself what contribution you feel you are making to others?
3. Is your life balanced?
4. How can you create more balance?
5. Are you respected by the people you work with?
Covid-19 problems
We all know what’s going on with job loss and unemployment at the moment. We know it’s bad. But for some people this might be the impetus they need to move forward. I don’t mean forward in an upward trajectory. I mean forward towards combining your passion and your work, and doing something you’d love to do.
Imagine the joy of a career that feels more like play than work. Imagine waking up every morning eager to meet the challenges that lie ahead rather than dreading the obstacles you’ll encounter. Imagine ending every working day feeling energized instead of drained.
This is the result when you follow your passion!
Be open to circumstances, people, and opportunities!
Read our tips
How to Handle a Career Change Late in Life
Is Your Next Step A Career Shift?
Tips for Creating A Successful Home Business
