Maybe at the ripe age of 26 I’ve become a cynic. Who ever thought me, dreamful, fairy-tale believer – a heart before mind soul like myself, would argue business not passion? All I’ve known is to dive in, smile first with analytical anxiety slightly behind. I’m a loose cannon in decision-making. Particularly with desire. But I guess a mid-twenties crisis is pulling me to change.
Passion is not always modern or profitable
A great article on Karl Lagerfeld recently revealed he didn’t allow himself to romantically look back on the past. He always moved forward and ensured each of his collections exciting and interesting. I wrote a piece about not relating to my millennial generation. I terribly reminisce the past and disassociate myself with modern trends and styles.
I’ve gone against the grain with my blog and discuss topics others don’t. That’s cost me dear in blog views. Articles such as 10 Autumn/Winter Beauty Tips and Must-Read Lifestyle Tips for Spring, are greater in popularity than Should Digital News and Publications be Free? People today are increasingly addicted to advice which has replaced journal style blogging.
Before running to passion, consider your target audience. Is there proof what you want to achieve is possible? Are you moving with the times; are you aware of technology advancements and how they affect your vision? Reading Simple Tips Smart Ideas has encouraged me to stop solely focusing on creativity. It’s better to take my talent and see how it applies to my industry’s market. Sometimes you have to adapt and twist what you originally wanted in order to achieve.
Following your passion can make you less successful
Published last year, a CNBC article looks at a study by Stanford researchers who found “focusing on following a single passion made people less likely to consider new potential areas of interest.” The advice ‘follow your passion’ additionally makes people assume passion is easy. Solely concentrating on one thing alone arguably disrupts growth and may prevent you from gaining significant expertise.
Initially in my writing career, I decided to purely produce content for magazines. After a brand contacted me regarding blog writing, I opened myself up to copywriting which has been more lucrative and given me vast opportunity. Never would I have interviewed at The Ritz Hotel or with a famous Italian CEO if I had stuck to my beginning ideas.
Not everyone is good at what they love
I for example adore singing. I listen to music whenever able, but I’m not going to audition for the X Factor. Painting, cooking, dancing and photography fascinate me – not enough however to pursue them as a career. I think when choosing an ideal profession, you have to first opt for business not passion. How much can you improve in a precise area and how would you then compete against competitors?
As Factor This says, focus on developing marketable skills you’re truly good at. That doesn’t mean to necessarily stick to something you don’t enjoy. It’s about finding balance and being honest with yourself regarding resources, time and effort. So, if I thought about being a painter, I’d have to calculate a substantial number of hours and money to train myself to the skill set of current artists. If I thought about dancing, I’d have to think about my age and the type of career now available.
Passion is overly romanticised
When people imagine following their passions, they tend to conjure images of freedom. There’s a beach, a welcoming cottage or an apartment in NY. Everything looks magical. Usually people associate passion with the actual lifestyle they want to live and not the job itself. A Forbes piece written by Michal Bohanes suggests “develop a passion, don’t follow it”.
Be careful placing too many whimsical notions to a passion. It takes plenty of hours and dedication. They’ll be times when you’re failing and wish to give up; times when you almost hate what you signed up for and moments of despair leading you to browse for something else. It’s one thing finding hours to casually unwind with a hobby, quite another when you need a pay-check and have to agree to work that’s within your passion to keep your main goal alive.
Business not passion – resource over plans
Money and enthusiasm combined are a stronger power than passion alone. Chatting to my friend the other day, I asked her what topics are interesting for an article. She began to discuss the difficulty in bettering yourself. How expensive it is to take courses, classes and gain skills. A journalism course I’m interested in exceeds £4,000 in costs.
People are quick to mention famous cases like Steve Jobs and Walt Disney – icons who didn’t give up despite rejections and several obstacles. What’s said for the people who have tried to emulate them and endlessly failed? For every Madonna turning up to Hollywood with a couple of notes and a bag full of essentials, thousands of others have remained in LA without her success. I believe in big dreams and wild ambitions.
I also believe in some sensibility. Isn’t it wiser to follow primarily what you’re capable of? Save up before you put yourself out there? Having the mindset business not passion can help you logically plan and potentially achieve your actual passions quicker.
How do you feel about following business not passion?
You put it perfectly.
Many of the most loved football players in “my” club has been very vocal about how they do what they love and everything they have gotten from it. But they are equally vocal about how they still study or do other things on the side. One studied economy, they said, “no matter how good we are, things can end in a second, we need something that we can be good at then”. I love, love, love how these people with such big platforms and fans talk/talked about this and made sure people and kids know WHY it’s important to have something if what you love doesn’t pay the bills.
Dream are important, and we should absolutely follow them, but we need to be smart about it and have a back up plan. Or so I feel 🙂
I completely agree! It’s great that the footballers have spoken out about this and that they take the time to do other things. Sports in general has such a short shelf-life.
People can have a couple of different passions that they pursue. I think sometimes people think they have to have just one thing. I believe it’s good to look at your job and your dream career, and draw links between them. Look at all the different connections and choices available before running straight into it. Thank you for reading! 🙂
What was it Tyra Banks said on Top Model.. one day you’re in, the next day you’re not?
Agreed 🙂
Reading your article I wavered back and forth on my opinion of business versus passion. Then, I read that MIchal Bohanes suggestion “develop a passion, don’t follow it.”
He truly has the best idea. To do something you don’t value or enjoy just for the monetary value would be empty. Yet, developing something you can be passionate about,
well, with a little luck and dedication you can have the best of both worlds.
Thank you for reading Andrew. I’ve always always said – follow passion. Then when I came across an article on why it’s bad advice, it really made me rethink what I always assumed.
The idea of passion usually beats the reality. You need a good dose of luck and business to combine. I think anyway lol.
I agree. Have a good one.
Laura you are so good at stating it as it is, yet in a way that is so convincing 🙂 Your post truly opens up the thought process for following a line of work sensibly. Knowing what gives us joy is one thing and finding a purpose to do that is one other choice. It became clear to me some time ago that my blog comes from a place of passion but I am not writing towards a monetary goal. While there are other areas where I do my work with similar passion but I had to learn how to use my personal power to bring a business model to it.
Thank you!! I’ve met some people who have numerous passions and others who struggle to think of one. I love writing enough to do it continually, but there are many others things I enjoy that I’m happy to do once in a while. I don’t think every passion can be a career and that’s where people can go wrong.
You are so very welcome 🙂 I agree with you.