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INCORPORATE PASSION INTO YOUR CAREER
By Susan Maltz and Barbara Grahn
How would you feel if you woke up one morning and discovered that everyone would be paid the same salary and receive the same benefits, no matter what work they performed? One of your first thoughts might be, “If that is how it will be, I may as well do work that I really love.”
Working in a job that you love will make you happier in both your personal and your professional life. The career you choose should not just fit your skills, values and interests, it should also fulfill your passion.
What gets you excited? What do you enjoy doing? Where do you love to spend your time? The answers to these questions may provide the key to finding your passion.
Is it really possible to include things you love in a career plan? You bet it is! One of your objectives when exploring career options is to look for jobs where you can incorporate your passion.
It is possible your first job may not include your passion, but as you travel through life you will have many learning experiences that will provide a certain amount of excitement and gratification. Each experience will add a new dimension to your life, help you find your passion, and ultimately obtain your ideal career.
Passion comes in many forms and finding it happens in many ways. For example:
- A 10-year-old supports her friend as she battles a terminal illness and dreams of a career as a medical research doctor.
- A 16-year-old has a part-time job answering phones at a construction company and daydreams about the skyscrapers he wants to build one day.
- A 22-year-old salesman thinks back on the most enjoyable time in his life when he directed a college musical. He decides to leave his company and pursue film directing.
- A 25-year-old flight attendant performs CPR and saves a man's life. She explores becoming a paramedic based on one experience.
All of these people chose to embrace their passions at different times based on different life experiences.
If you are fortunate to know what career you want to pursue at an early age it is likely you will be motivated to try and follow that path, but passion for the work will play a bigger role in your success.
One of the biggest barriers in pursuing something you love is when others tell you, "It's impossible to make a career out of that," or “You can't make enough money in that career.”
For instance, a mother and father have all but given up when they tell the guidance counselor that their son spends all of his time at skateboard parks. They have failed to recognize their son's passion and the numerous career goals he could pursue. The guidance counselor suggests researching the following questions, all related to the son's passion and possible career options:
- Who designs skateboard parks?
- Which companies manufacture equipment?
- What organizations plan skateboarding events?
In this case, exploring these questions was the first small step on a path that motivated their son to graduate with honors from high school, receive a sports management degree in college, and get a job promoting the "Extreme Games."
The critical factor in fulfilling your passion and achieving success is making an informed decision by evaluating career information carefully and realistically. Not everyone can be President of the United States or a Nobel Prize winner, but it is possible to research the career paths of these people and determine what is possible for you.
Follow your dreams, but know that your life will be filled with learning experiences - some more exciting than others - that may lead you to that ultimate place where work no longer feels like work.
Check out this book by Susan Maltz and Barbara Grahn:
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