Unless you've been living under a rock, it's a good bet that someone has come along in your life and given you this piece of advice:
Follow Your Passions!
I've certainly been told that on a number of occasions; sometimes welcome, sometimes not. Even though I am starting to turn a bit gray about the edges, I'm still not entirely sure what people intend, when they say that.
Vintage sailboat
What are the implications?
Of course, in most cases, these words are intended as "career advice," often suggested to those who seem to be at a crossroads in their working life, perhaps questioning whether they really should continue with their corporate job... or strike out on their own. Perhaps they are spoken to someone who's in mid-career as an accountant and are considering "giving it all up" to pursue their dream of becoming a painter or writer.
Passions Aren't Always Practical...
Whenever I have gotten that piece of advice, I've always paused to consider the functionality of it.
Close-up of red flowers
Just because we are "passionate" about something doesn't mean that our passion is marketable, in the employment sense of the word. I'm pretty passionate about sleeping, but that doesn't mean I'm going to land a great job snoozing.
"Intent" becomes pretty important here.
Specifically, is our intent in following our passions purely there for its own sake? Or do we need to consider "making a living" as part of the equation? Because if we don't, then following our passions becomes a whole lot easier.
Then again, sometimes you just have to be creative! There are often ways to turn even the most unlikely passions into a profession.
Personally Speaking...
I have been mostly "following my passions" since 1997.
Close-up of California Poppy
In doing so, my primary observation would be this: Following your passions is extremely rewarding, but don't think for a minute that means it will also be easy.
My passions are writing, "finding things" and creating art of various types.
Until Steemit, however, I had never made more than about $3,000 a year from writing. It was one of those interesting paradoxes: I was often told my writing was "brilliant" and invited to submit to many publications... but the moment I pointed out I actually expected to get paid... suddenly nobody was interested anymore.
I'm also passionate about painting, but art is sadly not something most people can ever make a living at, so I have primarily focused on the enjoyment of it.
And then there was "finding things." Yes, that's a real passion of mine-- especially beach combing. And for a while, I actually scraped out a decent living finding old glass, pottery, interesting rocks, driftwood. shells and other things to sell to artists who work with "found objects." In a sense, it was a dream come true... but it lasted only a few years till "the world" caught on to the idea that money could be made and the market quietly "went away" when people started tossing trash into rock tumblers and pretending they had genuine "found objects."
But it was fun while it lasted.
So Why SHOULD We Follow Our Passions?
We should follow them for their own sake, because it makes us feel good about our lives, and our place in them.
Branches with sun and rain
We should not follow our passions to make money. Maybe that sounds counterintuitive, but for the most part people tend to LOSE their passions when they suddenly have to put too much focus on "making money." Don't misunderstand here, nothing wrong with making money from your passions... but here's the key takeway:
Focus on your PASSION, let any money be a consequence.
If you focus on the money, you stop being authentic because your mind goes to a wrong place. Trust me on that one-- been there, done that! And there are few things sadder than "losing" something you really love doing because it has become a drag.
How About YOU? Are you following your passions? If not, why not? What's holding you back? If you ARE, how is it working out for you? Are you glad you made the choices you did? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
created by @zord189
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180217 17:43 PDT
Passion for doing something is important for deriving more meaning in life. But there are also "higher consciousness" things that give great meaning as well, but can be troubling or hard to get into, like a pursuit of truth for our own betterment and the betterment of everyone. I am getting back into that more "impersonal" aspect of my life, after I pursued development of my personal life that I ignored for so many years in favor of devotion to truth. Getting involved in a romantic relationship is a great passion to have as well :) heheh.
I was passionate about truth for a decade, and finally made money on Steemit from it, earning my way up in popularity, only to have the time I built earning my way to the top taken from me as a I stood my ground for principles of fair and honest behavior on Steemit about allowing people to build their brand and earn their way. Sometimes fighting for your passion backfires in an unjust system that allows wrong-actions without consequence, and only you suffer for trying to keep what you earned (reputation, status, popularity, etc.).
Going with the flow of the majority, not rocking the boat, going along to get along, can often get you ahead of others who stand for more principled and just ways of doing things. I learned what happens here when you take on the wrong-actions of the powerful rich users that most people blindly support for various reasons.
Follow your passion, but know that other people might not like you for the success you garner as a result of being appreciated for what you do. Sometimes we need to let go of one passion to allow room for another, as I did with a personal relationship, which I'm happier for doing :) And that also includes letting more care for truth into our lives as a form of passion, rather than only focusing on personal passions of various kinds.
I could say SO much about this, but I'll try to keep in manageable.
I know you worked hard to be heard concerning freedoms and people's rights to fair and equitable treatment in this community and some simply would not have it that way. It's an illustration of one of the things about humanity that has always concerned me: a significant-- if not majority-- segment of the population are more concerned with personal gain than taking "right action." And when that is challenged, it becomes more important to them to be right than to be just and fair.
Those particular territorial skirmishes continue, of course. Somehow, they seem to fade more and more as the user base grows; new large investors come in and shrink the relative weight of the "old" players. In spite of its possibly idealistic roots, Steemit emulates life, complete with all the "characters" we find out and about. Inequity and unfairness continues...
It makes me happy to hear your relationship is bringing you a measure of passion/happiness/contentment; it's something that's hard to place a value on. But I do, and quite highly... having worked through several dead ends and personal issues detrimental to solid relationships before my wife and I reconnected (we knew each other as kids) in 2003.
Here is an image/text from facebook I just came across, it partly says what I was saying in the above comment regarding higher consciousness passions:
There tends to be two kinds of people who tell me this said advice.
I say let your hobbies and spare times be filled with things you have passion for. If they turn into more than a hobby great. If not they are still your hobby and you get enjoy them part of the time.
And hence I suggest "let your passions LEAD."
It's fine to be able to make money from your passions, but they have a way of turning from something you really like to something that's basically a drag when you start "expecting" to profit from them.
Those people who enjoyed "against all odds" successes grate on my nerves because they view reality through such a narrow lens of perception, and yet they can't see how their world wouldn't apply to everyone. Huge cognitive blind spots...
I am definitely following my passions these days. I like to create and share my ideas. I don't think it matters if it is writing, video, audio, etc. I just like to communicate what I think about the world. Sometimes that makes money. Sometimes it doesn't.
I think you are wise to examine the refrain people saying "follow your passion." The career/money aspect can be a point of contention for sure. Following your passions is damn simple if you don't expect remuneration. But I, like you, expect to be paid if I am helping someone else build their business or brand.
Great writing as always. I'm always impressed with your work.
(P.S.: Upvote is inbound. You are on my Steemvoter now, because your work is always top notch.)
Hi Chris, thanks for the supportive words!
Yes, it's much easier when we don't give a flip as to whether it makes money or not. I have probably shared twenty million words for free, but it never stopped me from writing... it happens to be a delightful thing that there's a reward here, but it's not-- and never will be-- the determining factor. Art is a little different because there's a cost of supplies there... and I'd sort of "expect" to at least be able to make that back, otherwise it gets depressing.
Follow your passions by all means, but maybe not all the way to the poorhouse. Sometimes things that are not fun at all are the most financially rewarding, and sometimes pleasure should be deferred. Weigh the opportunity costs.
I've always tried to be reasonable about it. Some things just aren't meant to be "income producing," and I have no interest in blindly pursuing some dream... to the poorhouse. The fact that I actually managed to make a living from beach combing for four years was completely unexpected and not something I would ever "set my clock by," so to speak.
I am sorely tempted to buy a metal detector with some of my Steemit earnings for some serious beachcombing and prospecting. I've been reading up on which models might help find gold deposits that form in creeks in the mountains here.
You just never know till you try. Those guys with the "potato patch" near Liberty, WA keep hauling giant nuggets out of the ground. There was an old seaside dump here... and people keep finding random bits of jewelry on the beaches here, even 60 years after it was shut down.
Hello wee SteemKitten; sorry your cute shenanigans will not be continuing....
I agree with you that passion is not always marketable. For example, I am passionate about taking care of children, but I know that cannot support me and my family, so I have to work my ass off at my present work though I don't really like it.
We have to do what we have to do to keep our lives going. I'm a writer, but I have never depended on writing to keep me afloat. I'd love to be able to... but it seems unlikely (unless I suddenly get some unexpected "whale" friends here on Steemit-- LOL), and I'm OK with that.
I'm reconnecting with my passion and discovering new ones on Steemit.
I' m learning Photoshop and using my camera more.
Very cool!
I think we can learn a lot from interacting on a global social site like this.
Steemit definitely rekindled my passion for blogging.
Very deep topic. Thanks for posting. I have benefited a lot from it, I will watch your forthcoming publications @denmarkguy
#restem your post
Thank you.
Good point the advice isn't often questioned. I take it as sort of synonymous with "Trust your gut" -- Someone who can dismiss an option on account of it not being right for them. They're really the ones following their passion.
Recently, I've been really into the idea of farming and listening to bluegrass music even though I grew up in suburban New Jersey, listening to Emo. I don't have to keep listening to the same thing.
I'm 100% on board about passions not being what makes money. I used to be a car salesman. I am good at it and I enjoy helping people find and buy a car. I also love cars. But the GAME is riddled with lying, lyers, cheats and cheaters.
So I left. My passion might leave me peniless and poor, or it might not. I might be poor today, but I blog about my life and HODL my STEEM and 10 years from now I have a nest egg.
Also as far as getting paid for writing, have you ever tried Zerys.com? I've made a few grand there over the years picking up writing gigs.
That's great advice.
If I wanted to make money by doing things I'm passionate about I'd never be happy.
There are very limited opportunities (probably none).
I just follow it just for my own peace and happiness.
On the one hand I am following my passion. My passion is writing fiction. I just now wrote a fiction story and posted it to my blog.
On the other hand though, I still have to work to pay my rent and my TRUE passion is really........ not working for someone else.
People that live under rocks is always the butt of jokes. Please stop bulling under-rock dwellers. Jokes aside, I like your post very much. I'm very fortunate in that I have several things that I feel passionate about and one of those things is computer programming. That allowed me to earn a living, but I also program in my own time as a hobby often times. I no longer program as a job since I moved to another IT area but I program to alleviate my chores nonetheless and I really enjoy it.
Some idealistic movements during the last couple of centuries had lead people to adopt in the “pursue your passion” mindset. I think one has to be useful to society by solving practical problems, obviously you can pursue your passion on the side in your own time and if you are lucky enough you can even be like Charles M. Schulz that earned a very comfortable living and great respect by drawing the Peanuts comic strip.
Art also plays an important role in the well being of a society but you have to be lucky to one of the statistically few who earn a living from it.
I totally agree with you, but in the other hand I believe people should have hobbies or passions because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
I wanted to highlight something about my experience in Steemit (not my main source of income but it helps). Since there is no guarantee that a post will even be well rewarded, you might as well have a good time writing it. So I try to write things that amuse me to begin with (I write mostly humor). That way if the post doesn't produce a good reward at least I had a good time and had my laughs.
Also I share your passion about sleeping and I have a substcription to the “Modern Sleeper Magazine”... That was a lame joke. I'm an insomniac and I would like to have a better sleep.
Thank you @denmarkguy" for your insightful post.
Like you say sometimes your Passion has no
dollar value or 'financial' demand. I love disc golf but it really is not a good niche in to make healthy profits.
Being a full time internet Marketer , I have heard this constantly in my industry over the years. i.e "Just Follow Your Passion". Blah, blah , blah.
I have found sometimes that trying to monetize your "Passion" can be a sure fire way to lose interest in that particular "Passion". Ultimately resulting in the complete loss of that "Passion" :(
That's no good !!
Do we even recognize our passions? Most the time I feel like we are entranced by a worldly and societal view which then trumps what we are truly passionately moved by. Some 27 odd years later I feel like I had unleashed one of my greatest passions: playing music. But what do you do with it? Enjoy it, live it, embrace it.... sure. But I feel like there is more to it. It's as if with great passion comes great responsibility. The responsibility to share the gifts we are given. Because usually gifts and passions go hand in hand . I love that we were made that way. Thank you for a solid post.
to this I would say several things:
a) rules for what makes money and how we go about it change now very quickly
b) making money from our "passion" or "art" can corrupt our original intentions for loving these pastimes (obviously? but not always)
c) if what we love is corrupted by how we make our living, very deep analysis is required.
d) if we can do both make a good living, and do what we love, without internal conflict, I would say GO FOR IT!
What I really mean to say is: It is now possible to consider a new way of life not previously known, and just because it did not pay well the first year or 2, does not mean that situation will continue for those that see their way clear to devote their lives to it. ;-)
Steem goes to $100 and then?
Resteemed post, cause it's quite educative and encouraging. As a minnow I look forward to seeing more of post.
Good job boss!
Great post, I love your honest approach. Also, the last picture is so beautiful!
I agree with you on this one. Sometimes following your passion without trying to earn money for it helps your passion become stronger. So, for me that would mean choosing a career that interests me a lot but maybe doesn't focus on my passion for writing. I don't want to have to be forced to sell my writing to anyone just to make a living. If I keep writing in my free time, and maybe publish on steemit, my writing will become better and I will get appreciation from others without the need to survive on it.
I have always found this "follow you passions" advice to be somewhat depressing. Primarily because I don't have any!
I envy people who feel really passionate about things. I don't! I don't have a great desire to change the world, or make others lives better, or create art, or write or cook or anything. So where does that leave me?
In the past it left me in deep depressions until, somewhere along the line, I accepted it. It still leaves me in a place of not knowing what to do with my life which can translate into not knowing what to do with my day.
I enjoy things when I'm doing them or involved in them but nothing calls me from the future.
I used to be passionate about travelling but even that is great when I do it but I have no desire to actually set it in motion.
And . . . nobody has every answered the question - what do you do when you don't have any passions? The most common answer is you do, but you do't know what they are. Well I spent a lot of years looking for them and came up empty!
I feel like a good portion of my life has been jumping into the fray when my passions make themselves known. I'm sure it hasn't always been a healthy thing, but I'm not afraid to try new things (Just posted about the time we all moved onto a sailboat to follow my husband's dreams) and I'm not afraid to fail.
My passions might not be a 'success' in other people's eyes, but since I don't care to do things for other people's definition of success, I suppose that really doesn't matter.
I will continue to live life knowing that when I feel inspired, I'm more than happy to take a chance and try something new. I'm also very proud of the fact that I have raised my kids to be the same way.
Great post, great encouragement!
I have always followed my passions- sometimes they didn't work out as I had hoped, but I am still determined to make them a success.
And yes, steemit has revived my passion for writing and social interaction; as a homebody and introvert, steemit has allowed me to converse and have conversations I never would have had.