Follow Your Passion...

Follow your passion, and success will follow you. ~Terri Guillemets

This is advice that my peers and I have been told all throughout our lives. Find something you love and eventually the money will follow. This makes intuitive sense; if you do what you love for a job then you are willing to commit to it and tough out the hard times. However, the reality that I see in most of my friends is that they are very talented individuals, but lacking in passion. A friend of mine complained to me a few weeks ago after she started a new job. She said that her new coworkers seemed to truly be passionate about her organization's mission. Neither of us could come up with anything that we would feel comfortable devoting that much time and energy towards.

I know people with this passion exist. My cousin is an artist who has demonstrated a passion for his work since we were really young. He pulls all nighters to work, and sacrifices the stability of a comfortable 9 to 5 job to pursue his work. I know others who work in my field who volunteer to help people trying to learn new skills and take great pride in their work. However, for most of my friends, we do not believe that our jobs are helping us to grow nor are they helping us to better the world.

I spent the winter traveling, attempting to find something I am passionate about. I discovered that I love to dive and be in the water. I love to travel and explore new places. I need to wake up with the sun, not an alarm, and I need to be outdoors and see the sun mark the passage of time. However, these are all lifestyle issues, not something I can apply to my professional life. So, I have decided to take some more time to explore some professional opportunities that I have been batting around for awhile but haven't had the time or energy to deal with.