Jeff Goins: 3 Lies to Face Before You Find Your Passion

This post was taken from the blog of Mr. Jeff Goins, a passionate writer.

Last night, I finished my first book manuscript. I ran spell-check, added citations, took a deep breath, and hit “send.” I emailed my editor, ate a few Girl Scout cookies, and went to bed.

Today, I am back at it. Back to writing. Starting from scratch. And I love it. This is what the writing life is about — not publishing, but writing.

Don’t get me wrong: I like getting acknowledged for the hard work I do. I like readers. But if no one was watching, I would do this anyway. Even without an audience, I would work with words. Because it brings me life.

That’s what a passion is all about.

Where passion comes from

Writers write. Singers sing. Athletes play.

Our vocations are marked not by how much money we make or the attention we earn doing them. They’re marked by passion. This is what defines us, more than any other thing.

You have heard, “You are not what you do.” Which is true. But if you do not do what you love, then what are you?

Last year, I focused on one passion I’ve spent my life avoiding: writing. As a result, I built this blog, got a book deal, and started getting rewarded for doing something I love.

You know what makes it all worth it? Is it the eBook sales? The speaking gigs? The promise of my name in print? Heck no.

It’s the ability to pursue my passion every single day. And knowing I can do that without mortgaging my family’s well-being or giving up a day job I enjoy is an added plus.

How to find your passion

This is all well and good, but what do you do if you don’t know what your passion is? How do you find the “one thing” that will complete you?

It would be disingenuous to offer a series of steps to get there. Instead, I’d like to share three lies that will keep you from your passion — and why you should avoid them:

1. “I don’t know what it is.” Someone called me out when I said this, and he was right. I was exerting a lot of energy, saying I didn’t know what my passion was, but really I was just afraid to act on it.
2. You have to become poor to do it. The world loves rewarding people in pursuit of their dreams. When you make passion the goal, you will create great work. So don’t be surprised when people take notice. And don’t be shocked if there’s compensation waiting for you. You don’t have to be a starving artist.
3. “One day, I’ll arrive.” Dreaming is a dangerous business. If we’re not careful, we may be seduced into believing that if we just found one perfect job, we’d be happy. But life doesn’t work like that. You will always be a little incomplete. This is the beautiful frustration of being human. And it’s where all the best art comes from.

As you pursue passion, you will be resisted and opposed. You will try to sabotage yourself. But hopefully, you’ll push through the lies and persevere. You’ll get back up when you fall. Because the passion is worth the pain. Right?

So get on with it. Time to do the work.

T1Q: A job or your purpose?

This post was taken from one of the newsletters of T1Q: the one question written by their Resident Life Coach, Ms. Lillian Eve Moore, that I would like to share to everyone.

What should you do if you want a new career but you don’t have the funds for “transitional period.” How do you support yourself while you are waiting for your dream career to take off?

Step 1: Trim down and simplify
Can you make your life less expensive? See what expenses you can cut without compromising your quality of life. You might find that some of the things that you spend the most money on don’t really give you joy.

Step 2: Look for joy and bliss where you are
If you are employed be grateful for that income! Put money aside to give you a cushion. Find ways to bring your talents and passions into your current job – this will improve your current relationships and could lead to promotions or glowing referrals. Look for your dream job on the side or if you are starting your own business start freelancing part time first.

Step 3: Start Small
For any of you looking to start your own business, it is easy to feel like you need a huge investment to start. Actually, it is better to start small because there will inevitably be mistakes and losses at first. Is there a way that you could start your business with zero capital?

Step 4: Tell it like you want it to be
If you are unemployed but you want to be a sailor, introduce yourself as a sailor. The way you think of yourself and speak about yourself is an important part of living your purpose and of being successful in your career. It is self promotion and its free!

xoxo

Lillian

Seth Godin: Rightsizing your passion

Post Source: Seth Godin’s Official Blog Site

Excitement about goals is often diminished by our fear of failure or the drudgery of work.

If you’re short on passion, it might be because your goals are too small or the fear is too big.

Do a job for a long time and achieve what you set out to achieve, and suddenly, the dream job becomes a trudge instead. The job hasn’t changed–your dreams have.

Mostly, though, it’s about our fear. Fear is the dream killer, the silent voice that pushes us to lose our passion in a vain attempt to seek safety.

While you can work hard to dream smaller dreams, I think it’s better to embrace the fear and find bigger goals instead.