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Every Sunday I bring you an article, an interesting quote that has been on my mind, and a journal prompt, all related to working and living better.
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The Danger Of The “Follow Your Passion” Advice
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There is a growing emphasis on the idea of having a passionate attitude towards one’s job nowadays.
As a career coach, I excel at helping people design and craft careers they enjoy, as well as them redefine the role that work plays in their life. But I don’t think that it is healthy to rely solely on work as the vehicle for expressing your passion.
In fact, it can be dangerous.
When you view work as your sole source of fulfilment and purpose, it creates unrealistic expectations for your career. It leads you to searching constantly for the job in utopia that does not actually exist. You keep looking for something better, something that makes you feel amazing, wondering what you are doing wrong, why you haven’t found it yet. It undue pressures on you to find your ‘one true calling’. This is a recipe for disaster. There IS no ‘one true calling’ for you to do for the rest of your life.
Because you are going to change.
What you want out of work, the interests that you have, tasks that you enjoy – these all change with time.
Using work as the sole source of fulfilling your passion can also lead to burnout. You may feel guilty about not being passionate about the work that you are doing. After all, maybe you had some success. You got promoted, got a nice pay raise, and have great job security. Meanwhile, the economic situation is very unstable, people are losing their jobs, or aren’t being paid very well; so how dare you feel unhappy with the job you have.
What to do when you don’t feel “passionate” about your work.
Rather than solely focusing on finding your passion, it’s more helpful to focus on designing a career that aligns with your values and interests. The way to do this is to explore, to follow your curiosity. You don’t need to know where it will lead, and that is okay. Just explore, play, and learn new things. You will NOT find your passion by sitting and thinking about it; it is not a cerebral exercise.
You discover your passion through action.
Pay attention to what captures your interest, and then pursue it. As you follow your curiosity, pay attention to how you feel. What emotions do you experience when doing certain things? Are there times when you feel time just slip away from you? What makes you feel energized and excited, or drained and disinterested? Paying attention to your emotions can help you identify the things that truly resonate with you. Those are direct clues, hints that you should continue to explore in this area.
As your understanding of yourself deepens, and you become more aware of the type of activities that you can lose yourself in, ask yourself what specific aspects of those activities you enjoy, and how you can incorporate these elements into your work. Or consider how you can do more of these things outside of work.
You can – and should – have interests you pursue outside of work. Work should not consume all of your time, thoughts, and energy. Work is an important part of life, but it is not life itself.
Reflect on your values and consider the things that are important to you, such as helping others, creativity, or intellectual curiosity. Identifying your core values can help guide you towards the type of work that you will find most meaningful.
Finally, it’s important to recognize when it’s time to switch things up. If you’re feeling burnt out or disengaged from your work, it’s time to explore. It is never too late to make changes, even if you are in a senior role or are older.
In conclusion, don’t dream of finding a job that will ignite your passion. Instead, follow your the threads of your curiosity, and then design and craft your work life in a way that fires you up.
You own your working life. Take back your power and shape it in a way that is perfect for you.
Quotation that I have been pondering
As long as you are still living, it is never too late to act upon your dreams. The longer you do something, the more it becomes a part of who you are, a part of your identity. You tell yourself stories, and these stories are usually not true. They are nothing more than stories. A common story is that it is too late, that you are too old. We say “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.
Nonsense.
It is never too late. Which leads to a quote from the brilliant artist Pablo Picasso that has been on my mind.
I completely agree with this sentiment. I view the idea of “youth” as an attitude rather than an age.
Where in your life can you rediscover the keys to youthfulness, which are play and humour?
Journal Prompt
We do so many things out of habit, which can make life a lot easier if they are the right habits. It can also lead you away from where you are trying to go if they are the wrong habits.
Take some time this week to conduct an interesting thought experiment, noting your thoughts in a journal.
If you’re searching for more time, start with a clean slate and choose what to add to your days rather than starting with a full schedule and trying to figure out what to eliminate.
