Every inspirational public speaker urges us to pursue a dream career and quit the job that doesn’t inspire us. We come across many people who enter the commonly praised career routes without knowing whether or not they have a passion for it. Later down the ladder comes realization; however, the opportunity cost of making a career change at such a point is way too high. What do we do in such cases? Bet in favor of comfort and higher salary or embark upon discovery of a new passion? Well, many people choose comfort over passion without realizing the direction of the path they’re following.
Passion vs. Reason
What is it that you think about when you hear the phrase ‘Passion vs. Reason’? It simply depicts the idea of whether one should be ambitious about his dreams and follow his true passion, no matter what, or simply choose any commonly practiced career by observing others.
No doubt, following your passion provides you with a solid base by generating energy and creating a sense of realization and freedom. On the other hand, reason provides the latter by influencing compulsion and discipline. All reasonable actions are somehow dictated by passion. Once we tend to do something, we can use reason to implement our actions, but it requires passion.
Why should you prioritize your passion?
When you prioritize your passion and follow it, you enjoy what you do, and nothing can stop you from getting your work done. Once you feel passionate about what you do, you feel determined and unstoppable, and nothing can get in the way of your goals.
If you feel unsatisfied with your job, it may be because you’re on the wrong path; a path that doesn’t lead in the direction of your passion. Now, you may be into that job because of others, or because the money is good or because your parents made the decision for you. But you should know that chasing money and ignoring your self-interests won’t get you far in life if you’re looking for self-improvement.
Undoubtedly, money is compelling; it has built empires for some people and broken-down kingdoms for others. It makes some people’s dreams come true and takes others’ away. It makes some people happy while others sad. So, some people link money directly to their happiness, and due to these reasons, they practically ignore their passions and go for this fancy or widely-adopted jobs thinking that these jobs may provide them more money. But, in reality, if you look from a different perspective, you may reach infinite bounds if you succeed in following your passion.
Benefits of Following Your Passion
As commonly praised jobs are also getting scarce nowadays, opting for such employment may prove detrimental to your career in the long run. Even if you think it is the right move for you right now, you won’t be able to continue for much longer. So, It would be best if you try to search for something that suits your interests and allows you to follow your passion. Now, let me tell you why exactly you should choose to follow your passion.
· Sense of Comfort and Relaxation
Going after your passion blesses you with a sense of self-comfort and relaxation, making you feel better about the work you do and how you do it. Having to wake up every morning every single day to go to work that you don’t care about can be very frustrating for your physical and mental health.
However, if you choose to follow your passion, you can truly enjoy what you accomplish. It doesn’t matter if the monetary rewards aren’t up to your expectations for the time being; you’d be surprised to know how much value they have for you in the long run.
· Enhanced Productivity
Being forced to do something can be one of the most exhausting experiences, which is why such jobs requiring you to find a reason are pretty dull and draining. However, if you’re passionate about the work you do, you can get through the dull days as you’re always open to new challenges, considering that these will lead you to success one day.
One who follows his passion stimulates his creativity and always tries to look for something new and exciting. Such a person is more inclined to develop constructive ideas, thus adding more flavor #saltbae and interest to his life and making himself feel better. These things may sound negligible to you, but they have significant benefits in an extended period.
· Less Pressure
If you work at a job, you find interesting, you’ll feel motivated and will be able to concentrate more on the assigned tasks and get things done quickly and effectively, without feeling a burden on yourself. So, you’d be able to stress less and relax more.
On the other hand, if you ignore your passion and work on someone else’s say, you may find it challenging to work, ultimately leading to extended working hours. So, let us ask you a simple question, wouldn’t it be easier for you to work for something you can relate to instead of working for something you don’t have any interest in?
· Self-Realization
Going after your passion provides you with a sense of self-realization and importance. If you follow your passion sincerely, you would care about the work you do; you won’t mind putting in some extra effort and going beyond what is required. Not only will this keep you motivated, but it will also earn the right kind of attention from your seniors.
Someone passionate about his career doesn’t let any obstacle get in his way and finds the solution to every problem. Achieving a whole new level of success is only possible by following your passion as it makes you feel contented and adds a different meaning and value to your life.
Once I was having a walk with a friend named Fuad. We were circling around in old city, closer to the evening and he asked me “Rashad what do you enjoy doing in general?”. My answer kind of unexpected to him, I said, “dude I do not do anything, I do not enjoy”. By the way he is the reason why I came up with this topic for an article.
When can you go for reason instead of passion?
As discussed above, following your passion can have significant benefits, but this may not necessarily be true for everyone. By consulting with career couches and analyzing graduation speeches, it has been observed that a vast majority of people do not favor the ‘follow your passion’ advice due to the narrowmindedness and investment of time and money to a single passion.
Some people aren’t even sure where their interest lies or what their passion is. Others might have more than one passion, or even if it is one, what if it changes with time? What if you dedicate all your life to something, and at a certain point, you lose interest? Would you be prepared to go back and start from scratch? We know that it sounds impossibly weird. Here’s why you could go after a solid reason instead of following your passion:
· You may be unaware of your passion.
Many people aren’t exactly confident about what their passion is, so they cannot link it to a successful career. Being unaware of your passion can lead to severe stress and anxiety. But, you don’t need to worry if you’re one of those. You might need some time, learning, or exposure to different jobs to find out where your passion lies.
· Your passion can change with time.
Undoubtedly, evolution is one of the significant characteristics of humans. We are in a state of constant flux, which means that our passions are likely to be too. So, if you find something interesting right now, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’d be intrigued by it the same way a few years later. Which is an accurate description of me by the way.
· You can have more than one passion.
People are vigorous and can have more than one specific life interest. It can be pretty challenging to select one passion solely, as it leaves no space for the other passions to be discovered. So, one might not explore his inner capabilities thoroughly if he decides to ignore his additional interests. I can relate to this one as well, sometimes I was punished for having too many.
· You may not necessarily be good at something, even if you have a passion for it.
Just because you have an interest in something doesn’t mean that you would excel at it quickly. Various talent shows that we see on television are a great example of this context. So, if you aren’t good at the profession you chose, you may be unable to compete for professional rankings, which would ultimately result in failure.
Why is it so hard to follow your passion?
Many people assume that following your passion comes with great ease and simplicity, but it’s the exact opposite in reality. It’s not like some magical dream job is waiting for you to apply. You should be aware of your strengths and professional skills before you decide to opt for something.
Once you decide to go after your passion, it becomes a must-do task for you; this might diminish the importance and luster the passion used to hold for you once. So, it is tough to follow your passion consistently. You should understand that passion isn’t something that you can find, but it is something that you can develop. Pursuing your passion can prove to be challenging at first, as it demands a lot of time. On a lighter note, your passion can also lead you astray, so keeping the limits in mind is essential.
Final Thoughts
Making money has become very important in the world we currently live in, but that doesn’t need to be our top priority while choosing a career. On one side, you can work your way up faster and give your career a boost if you devote your life to your passion. Undoubtedly, passion provides the key and capability to succeed.
On the other hand, if you’re unaware of your strengths, you can try different things to see what makes you happy. You can also go for other commonly praised career routes; in this case, you need to remember that passions are meant to be developed, not chased after. If, due to any reason, you go for such career routes and focus on the present, you might even be able to free up some time to dedicate to your passions.
Now, if you were expecting a clear cut decisive advice from the article, if so – I apologize. No one can tell you what to do. Some of these thoughts were already in your head, sometimes all you need is to hear it from somebody else. I call it sanity check. To conclude, I want to say that no one knows better than you do, you will be the one living the outcome of your choices. Do not blame your boss, parents, friends or me. Even following an advice is a decision made by you entirely. Good luck!
