Although the title of this post is Following Your Passion Is Not Just Luck, I do feel incredibly lucky that I am able to have my own business and do what I want.
Self-employment has been amazing for me so far, and I can’t believe that I had any doubts last year of what having my own business would be like for me.
I worked hard to get to where I am. I was working and going to school around 16 hours a day, 5 to seven days a week, for over five years. I believe that how hard I worked in the past 5 years led to where I am today.
And, I’m still working hard. Thankfully, I’m not still putting in 16 hour days 5 to 7 days a week, but I am still working hard. I have been better at utilizing my time and being more efficient, which has been good for me (and probably those around me as well because I’m sure I’m not as cranky).
Here is what I think it takes to become successful and do what you want.
You will need a plan.
Someone recently told me that it’s not your passion if you have to plan it out. They believed that if it were your passion, then you wouldn’t have to do anything that you didn’t really want to do. They believed that you could just do what you want, carry on life the way that you want, and everything would just come to you.
That really didn’t make any sense to me.
In order to get what you want, you will have to do things that may not be fun. One of those things is to make plans/goals in order to reach your dream job.
There are several questions that you will probably want to ask yourself:
- So, what is it that you love to do?
- What are your goals?
- Do you see yourself doing this forever, or at least a long time?
- Can you actually make money doing what you want to do? Can you survive off of that income?
- How can you start out with your passion? How long will it take?
You will want to create a realistic plan of when and how you can follow your passion. You might not be able to get your dream job right away, and it may take some time. However, you can make a good plan with actionable steps in order to reach your dream job.
You might not have fun.
Doing what you want might mean that you need to make sacrifices.
There were many times when I had to lose out on sleep (I think a good night was 5 to 6 hours, normal was three to four in a night).
I used to wake up for work around 6 a.m., work until around 5:15 p.m., start classes at 5:30 p.m. and not get home until 10:30 p.m. Many people do the same thing and have KIDS so that they can reach their dreams. Seriously, I don’t know how some people fit everything into their day.
You just have to think about your end goal and what you are working towards.
You will have to take a leap of faith.
The scariest thing about following your passion is actually making the leap to follow your passion.
You will be nervous. You will be scared.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone who wasn’t scared to follow their passion. It’s only normal. However, if you are following a realistic plan and are working hard, then following your passion should be attainable.
Do you think being able to follow your passion is just luck?
What tips do you have for someone who is wanting to follow their passion?
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I don’t like to use the word luck. Instead, I would say “being in the right place at the right time”. And I do think that has some to do with it. But obviously planning and hard work play as big of a role.
Congrats on your success. I hope to get there in time as well!
I agree you with Kraig – I think being at the right place at the right time also does help.
And thanks Kraig. You are doing great as well!
I was recently at a presentation at work where someone from our industry came in and talked to our students. The speaker said something that resonated with me and really fits for this topic. A student asked him if he attributed any of his success to luck or just serendipitous meetings with people. He said,
“I do not believe in luck and I do not believe in talent.”
It was like a mini mind explosion for me. I sat in the back and out loud said, “whoa”. It is so true though. It took him so much time and hard work and passion to get where he was. He talked about how good work takes practice which builds skill not talent. It was a great presentation.
Thanks Bre for sharing that! I agree, good work takes hard work.
Great post! “You might not have fun.” That really stood out to me because I think a lot of times people forget that owning a business and being self-employed can be tedious, hard, boring, annoying, and all the things a full time job can be.
You definitely didn’t luck into your success and you’ve worked crazy hard for it. You deserve it!
Thank you 🙂
To follow your passion, you have to be brave and not afraid to fail.
Thank you Wendy!
I have had lots of success in life and none of it has come from luck. I feel fortunate that since I was 14 years old, I was never afraid of hard work and now it is just my lifestyle.
Yes, same here. I’m glad that I started out young!
I think you definitely need to have a plan. If you don’t have one it won’t work even if it is your passion.
I agree. Thanks Jason!
Thank you!
Make sure it can support the lifestyle you want! I’m a big believer in doing something you may not be as passionate about if it helps you accomplish your goals better and/or quicker.
I agree with that as well. You don’t always have to LOVE what you do, but it should allow you to do other things that you love to do at least.
Agreed, great points! You really need to figure out how your passion = money. And, yes, you need a plan. Sometimes there is no way to make money from a passion. More often than not, there is. I’m still working on figuring this out. I hope one day I do! Thanks for the ideas.
Welcome 🙂
I think it’s possible, but definitely more preparation than luck!
I agree 🙂
I am taking on self employment this year and to say I am nervous would be an understatement! These are some great and honest tips, thank you.
Good luck! I’m sure you will do great.
I followed my passion when I started my e-commerce company. After some time I realized that it wasn’t my passion anymore. It happens and now I am onto something else. I find that I follow my passion on my days off!
Yeah, passion tends to change if you make it your full-time work. Hopefully that doesn’t happen to me!
While there may be some luck involved, it certainly takes courage, persistence, and drive to pursue a passion and find success. Without a plan, you would just be relying on luck, and that would be silly!
I agree, thank you Lauren!
Take that leap!
I think what you said about ‘can you actually make money doing what you want to do?’ is key. My passion is handmade crafts. Can I make enough money to live on by selling my work? Nope because I’m not that good and I have a niche market. Can I make enough money by blogging about what I do and creating tutorials for beginners? Quite possibly. Now I just need a plan!
Make a plan Hayley! Good luck 🙂