You must have heard the famous quote: “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life,” a million times. There’s no better job than pursuing what you’re passionate about, and many people dream about it. Most of them often turn to Google when searching for ways to make a good living or start a small business from doing what they love. So, here I am, offering my two cents about making a profit doing your passion job.
Is it really possible to make money doing what you love?
It is very much possible to earn hefty sums of money by doing the thing that you love doing. There are tons and tons of examples where people made a name for themselves and left an inspiring impression on generations to come, presenting their success as milestones in the journey of human development. Their passion for their work helps them unleash a potential that was previously not even thought possible. Don’t believe me?
Let me tell you about some people who loved what they did and achieved greatness in doing what they love. We all know about Jimi Hendrix. He was the fastest blues player in the world. He only appeared on the music scene for about 2 years, and in those two years, he changed the blues and inspired many more genres and artists. He used to say, “ excuse me while I kiss the sky.” And he certainly did.
Warren Buffet says In the world of business, those who are successful are doing what they love. And Warren Buffet is one great mogul in the name of economics. John Mayer, the great guitarist of our generation, knew when he was 13 years old what he wanted to do with his life, that was to pursue a career in music. J K Rawlings, a broke mom, gave it all she had to her writing ambition, and it made her the first female writer to have a little over a billion pounds in her bank account.
But do not mistake a big fat cheque as a measure of the passion you have for your work. Psychologists suggest the achievement of a state of “flow” when people are passionately involved in their work, and the job allows them to escape the world, also providing them with self-confidence and gratification. Tesla died broke and penniless and never married. His only refugee was his work, and his achievements shape this modern world of technologies we all enjoy and are attached to.
Most people fail to find a thing they love, which keeps them from finding their true worth and value. I believe asking yourself these questions can help anyone find what they want to do for the rest of their lives. These questions as follows
1. What is “that.”
Say you look at something, might it be an informative video on YouTube or an ice cream man on the streets and think, “I’d really like to do that!” But what is that? What is in “that” which fascinates you. These are the essential questions, and how do we explain these questions? Well, we all know what to do when in doubt…Start a list.
Once your list is created, Google something like: How to make money doing “that.” This strategy often unearths new money-making ideas around work you would love.
2. What can you do easily?
Question 2 is also an important one. Feasibility is necessary, sure, the man likes to be a million things, but he can very well do one job he is good at. And to narrow down the suspects from the earlier list using your spectacle of feasibility, you will require yet another list (it’s tedious, I know, but a small price for clarity.)
“What comes easily to you” is certainly not to crush your hopes for learning a new skill that seems complicated. It’s to maximize the output into a skill that you are thinking about learning and making sure you have the right resources to learn it.
3. Do your childhood dreams count?
Well, of course, they matter. These dreams have helped us look to the future with such optimism for so many years. Remember how many of us wanted Jedi Knights( I still want to) or NBA stars? Most of those dreams died a painless death. But that doesn’t mean they were worthless. In fact, tapping into those dreams is a great way to discover our work passions.
I imagined myself as a doctor in my white coat rushing to save lives, and that would give me an incredible thrill. I kept that dream alive, and now I am on my way to be the man I wanted to be. I liked medicine. It was easy and fun for me. But in med school, my peers struggled with concepts, so I decided to teach them the concepts, and people are willing to pay me for them. Now I hope to increase the level of this guidance to a new level by taking it on the virtual stage for a larger audience.
4. Are you dealing with reality?
Doing what you love is a luxury if you ask me in this world. But it’s no fairy tale. People who have followed a passion and are successful even with work they love will have some tasks they don’t enjoy doing— work is work. It can get boring sometimes. And there are other aspects to work like office politics and market competitions which seem to spoil the fun. But this is how it is; you must keep in check with reality, hold your ground, and keep moving forwards with your passion.
So, what kind of work would you love? Use the four questions above to help you figure out what best fits your passions—and how you can make money doing what you love.
Clarity about Passion, Prowess, and Purpose
Clarity is very important. We are talking about a passion that can make you money. This is not a hobby quest. It’s about a passion that can make you money. Passion and Prowess are two terms you should be familiar with.
Passion is What you love to do? What are you highly interested in? What are your “extracurricular” activities outside of work? And most importantly, if you didn’t have to work another day of your life, what would You do every day?
Prowess: Of your passions, you listed above, ask yourself which one(s) you are naturally gifted at? Which are you educated or experienced in? Which do you want to learn everything about and become an expert in?
Purpose: Narrow down your passions and prowess list by asking yourself: What do you find purpose and meaning in? What do you want to help others with? What do you want to make a living doing every day?
Identify a profitable passion
Before plunging into the process, be mindful of the fact that not everything is commercially viable. Most things we love don’t do a good business. This can be backed by the fact that something we value as a hobby is not the same as running a business; you might not enjoy it as much as you like the actual activity.
Relate to people
As a freelancer or influencer, remember that not everything you love to do for a living is needed or appreciated by your prospects or clients. They need to believe that what you’re doing is possible for them as well.
Understand their needs and demands. This will require tedious yet comprehensive research on how your brand can help them. Relevancy is what makes people pay for your brand or services you’re crazy about.
You need to work on overlapping your skills to consumer needs to make it people-friendly. You need to inspire, educate, or entertain your audience. In other words, market yourself extensively.
Low startup costs can help
If you’ve identified your viable passion, you must find a way where you don’t have to invest a hefty amount in your business. Starting a dream business with a minimal cost is the best option. Once you’ve created a demand in the market and maintained a streak, you can invest more time and cents into it. However, if you’re going to spend a lot of money and do nothing, that’s worse!
I hope this piece helps you heading off in the right direction. Covid pandemic is the best time to start your dream business and get paid for what you love to do!