How to never work any other day of your life
‘Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.’- STEVE JOBS.
Most studies show that the vast majority of people are not satisfied with their jobs. Put quite bluntly, they hate it! What makes many dissatisfied is their assumption that they have no other immediate options.
FIND IT!
I believe that every person has a gift that could be valuable to someone else. Perhaps you have convinced yourself that you have no gift to be passionate about. If so, think again. Find that which you love. Take time out and ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I do really well? When am I in my element or in flow?
- What have others told me that I do well?
- If success were guaranteed, and if there was no potential for embarrassment or financial loss, what would I be doing at this point in my life?
- What fear is holding me back?
Ask friends and family to give you feedback on these as well. Ask them what difference or value you make into their lives and those of others.
You do not have to be self-employed to love what you do. I challenge you to bring your passion to your work environment. I held a few roles for which I could hardly wait to get to work to pursue. Implementing effective processes, negotiating difficult agreements and problem-solving are some of my passions. While everyone shied away from these, I was the go-to person when it came to those. I am glad that in repeatedly dealing with these, I honed them and carried along these very skills in running my own business. I enjoy what I now do and thoroughly so!
A good number of people, mostly those with clarity on what business they would like to undertake, initially gain employment for capital needs, to gain experience, to gain contacts or to discover themselves and then transition to business fulltime or part-time. This could be your strategy as well.
HONE IT!
What does Albert Einstein and other achievers have in common? They deeply immersed themselves in their areas of focus. Their success is a result of conscious positive patterns. Their little daily habits make all the difference.
Many are not willing to invest the time, energy and funds to gain additional skills or to venture out in their own business endeavour. This makes all the difference between super achievers and non-achievers. Choose the former category. Never stop learning or improving your craft. Ponder over the following questions:
- What do I love to do but am not good at?
- What do I love to do and am good at that needs constant improvement?
- How much time and what tools do I need to improve my skills?
- What level of investment and learning do I need to grow?
- In what other areas do I need to increase my level of experience?
- Do I know anyone else who is doing what you’d like to do?
You need to increase the amount of time, priority and energy to honing your skills in what you love to do. In this age of technology, there’s an influx of knowledge in just about any field possible. Use your after work hours, office breaks, weekends and holidays to learn online (YouTube, Google & other platforms), go to school or even engage a coach. Improve what you love even while employed. The skill will come in handy at the appropriate time e.g. you could get promoted or posted to your department of choice.
PROFIT!
Your passion will not go unnoticed in any environment and will indeed result in financial gain. Of course, on a job you may not have the freedom to pursue your passion to the fullest extent, but if you maximize your experience there, it could very well be the springboard to realizing your ultimate dream – be it a promotion within or gained skill that will be useful in growing your future business.
Whatever the field, I challenge you to make good use of it. For instance, if you are an accountant like me, you can begin coaching on personal financial management at a fee or earning from short-term corporate consultancy or from speaking engagements.
Concentrate on your craft long enough that people can no longer ignore you. They will follow you. Use your after-work hours, office breaks, weekends and holidays to earn from your passion. Put yourself in an environment in which you will thrive in.
“If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” – Warren Buffet
You can use your current job or business to generate capital that could be invested to earn passive income. This income will come in handy in the event you choose to leave the hustle to concentrate on what you love to do. Passive income has been equated to self-freedom because these incomes are automatic and earned without having to actively do anything to earn it; such as income derived from a rental property.
Whatever your choice of hustle, the ability to focus and concentrate on a goal until achieved is key to success. Avoid diverting your money, time and space to other ventures prematurely.
A word of caution:
Watch out for people who try to put out your fire. Some people simply may not share your passion for your area of interest, while others are just plain envious because your efforts remind them of what they could be doing. Minimize your exposure to them.
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