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William James

If I were to ask you; do you love what you do? Would you jump up and down with excitement and scream yes?! Or would you just shrug your shoulders and say “Sort of.”  Depending on your answer, I can tell if you were truly passionate about your business or just letting days pass you by.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that there are some people when they first started their businesses, they were passionate about their ideas and excited to wake up every day to live their dreams. However, when challenges surfaced and they had to handle more tasks out of their genius zone, their passion was lost very quickly. But, was it really?

I believe if you are passionate about something, that passion is never really lost. However, enthusiasm and excitement can be lost. You may think to yourself, why would someone lose their enthusiasm and excitement about one of their passions? Simple, because when people often turn their passion into a business, they realize, they are much more than the creative technician - they have to wear many hats; marketer, human resources, quality control, customer service, and the list goes on. Their passion now feels like a chore rather than a privilege.

Don’t confuse your passion for what you are good at!

Sometimes people go into business confusing what they are good at as their passion. Perhaps, you are a good resume writer. In fact, people tell you are a good resume writer, and you get request all the time to write people’s resumes for them.  However, you don’t like the idea of writing resumes as a business.

Even though you are good at writing resumes, it makes you cringe every time someone asks for help.  Resume writing doesn’t light you up - it doesn’t make you excited to jump out of the bed every day.  Perhaps, you love knitting and sewing sweaters. Nothing is more exciting and exhilarating then jumping out of bed and crafting new patterns for everyone to wear! Now, that is something that you are passionate about and can do with joy and enthusiasm. However, there are so many mixed messages. Some business people believe you can’t make money following your passion, while others say follow your passion and the money will follow. So, where does that leave you?  Should you do what you hate for a sake of a dollar or follow your passion and do what you love for little to no money?

While there is no right or wrong answer, you only know what’s best for you. However, I wouldn’t let any limiting beliefs get in your way. Let’s say you wanted to knit/sew sweaters, and you thought about turning into a real business. You may have doubts come up. Some like:

Who will pay me for these sweaters?

I don’t have a brand - these sweaters won’t sell anyway

I can’t make any real money selling these sweaters

Resumes are more lucrative - I will hate it, but at least I will be making real money

When I scroll the internet and come across stories, of homemakers, and housewives, making six figures or more by blogging about veganism, parenting, baking, and sewing, I am not surprised. What they all have in common is their passion for the idea or topic they are presenting. Not only that:  they are authentic, enthusiastic, and passionate.

The truth is, you can create a sustainable business out of your passion, no matter who you are, or what your passion is. The key is to never lose your enthusiasm. If need be, you can hire a team of people to help you with all the areas in your business that you are not good at or you don’t prefer doing. This way you can focus on your core competencies and stay focused, dedicated and enthusiastic about your passion. 

What is your passion? What do you see happening once you find your passion? What blocks do you see that stop you from going for it? Tell me in the comment box below!