It is a common misconception that pursuing your passion can be at the expense of financial security and thus, your ultimate happiness. However, the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Reasons Why You Should Pursue Your Passion:
1. Money Can’t Buy Happiness
A lot of people believe that money is the most significant contributing factor to happiness and while money does expand your choices and is a component of happiness, it will never substitute for inner contentment. Inner peace is something that is always consistent and stable and will be the true source of your happiness.
If you dread getting out of bed because you don’t like your job, this can impact your mental and physical health in the long-term. Regarding job satisfaction, employees ranked income as a mere fourth, after the ability to balance work and non-work commitments, the work itself and job security Australia’s Fair Work Commission (2014). Evidently, money isn’t everything. If you are enjoying a work-life balance and your career journey, you are more likely to feel a sense of purpose and go to work with a positive outlook, which will subsequently increase your chances of being happy.
2. Time is Finite
When we think of our future, we can feel we have an infinite amount of time to achieve our dreams. Reasons are made why we can’t make these dreams into reality in the short-term and put them off until later. It is easy to justify with thoughts such as “I need to stay in this job because it pays what I need to look after the kids”, “I have to be able to afford the rent and going out on a limb is risky” or “my time will come in retirement”. More often than not, it is a case of “when I have the money…”, But what if we never get to that point? Our working careers will consume the majority of our life, so we may as well do something we enjoy and live in the moment.
Palliative care author, Bronnie Ware, mentions in her book ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying’, that the top regret of those on their death bed is not having the courage to have lived their life true to themselves. You may be in a better position to pursue your passion later in life without financial stress, or you may also not be. No amount of money can buy time—it is our most valuable asset, and it shouldn’t be wasted. Do things while you are young, fit and able and you will have no regrets about what you could and should have done.
3. Contentment is the Reward
Let’s face it—not every day of your job is going to be stress-free; challenges will always be present in the workplace. With passion, however, you will be better able to persist through them because overall, your level of enjoyment in the job will help you overlook the few not-so-good days.
This forward-looking mindset, commitment and resourcefulness will also help you stand out to employers. By being in a happy, joyful place, you will be a more likely candidate for promotion than someone who is struggling away, grim-faced, in a job they do not enjoy. When you do get the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of your career, you will also feel a great sense of contentment in knowing you found your true (and valuable) purpose.
The things you are passionate about are not random; they are your calling ~ Fabienne Fredrickson
Following your passion usually, involves a certain degree of uncertainty and may not guarantee financial stability. Risk can be part of the equation in anything that is worth doing. If you’re feeling unfulfilled in your career, it can be the perfect time to work out what your true passion is. You may not be able to transition into a new career immediately due to financial constraints, family commitments or needing to upskill. However you can start to inquire about the course you may need to take, start saving to make the transition possible or some other small step towards making your dream a reality.
When you are facing the unknown or are feeling uncertain, the best thing you can do is the act. If you meet the universe halfway, it will often respond in kind opening doors and create opportunities to help towards your dream in becoming a reality.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you’ve imagined.
As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.
~ Henry David Thoreau
So helpful! 🙂