I was always taught: go to school, get an education and obtain a job making a good salary. No one ever added follow your passions into the equation. I heard many people say, “Follow your passions and the money will follow.” For years that statement did not resonate with me until recently.
I remember during my lay off several years ago, I was watching Oprah. During the show, she stressed the importance of following your passion, because the money will follow. In my depressed state, I grumbled to myself and stated, “That’s easy for you to say, you have money.” I thought the only way you can follow your passions is if you had the money. No one ever really broke down how the money will follow. For me, that statement finally clicked with me and I understood why the money will follow:
• You will work harder because you love it. In addition, it will not feel like work. I remember several years ago working with one of my co-workers on a project. One day, he turned and looked at me and said, “This is great, we get paid all this money to sit around and play all day!” The same job that I hated, he loved. He loved it so much that to him it was not work, but fun.
• You will always be on the hunt to learn more about your passion. Part of staying ahead in business is learning the new trends in your industry and staying ahead of the curve. The only way to do this is by continuing education for your passion.
• You are naturally good at it, so it will not be a challenge for you.
• It is never boring and always exciting for you.
• When you are where you should be more ideas and creativity come to you.
These principles apply whether you are running a business or working in Corporate America. Of course, running a business, you need to understand things like, finance, business laws, tax rules, etc. But you can hire experts who are passionate in these areas. But look on your job at the people who are passionate, they usually advance higher and get better pay increases than people who are not passionate. For business owners, look at people like Bill Gates and Ralph Lauren, both in totally different industries, but extremely successful, because they are passionate about their craft. So the adage is true, “Follow your passions, the money will follow.” In my opinion, you can not afford not to follow your passions.
Comments