Do What You Love and…

Photo by hamedparham

They say, do what you love and the money will follow.  Why is that?  Honestly, I can only guess it’s because when you love what you’re doing, you’ll give it much more energy and attention than something you absolutely hate.  further, when you love what you’re doing, you’ll do it no matter what, and you’ll put much more into it.  You will stick through the thick and thin in a way that you wouldn’t if you weren’t passionate about it.

One of the things I’ve struggled with most in my life is this question, what if the money doesn’t follow?

I’ve finally found my answer, and I’m so happy for it….for now.

If I do what I love and the money doesn’t follow, then what?  Then, I’m still doing what I love.  I’m doing what I’m passionate about, and if I really love it, I’m loving every moment of it.  I also know that if I continue to do my best, and keep doing what I love, I will find ways to get paid for it, and most likely because of my passion for these activities, I’ll find ways to do very well with them.

For me, my passions could be well paid, but they are in an industry that is very hard to break into.  So what I have done is found a way to work but still do what I love.  I used to say I didn’t have time for it, but now I know better.  When you love what you’re doing, you make time.  That’s just how it is.  I am 3 times as busy now as I was when I was making excuses, but I still find time to do what I love.  I work on it every day and I’m making contacts.  Does this mean that soon I’ll quit my day job and go live my dream next month? No, but it does mean that I’ve met enough people to start getting paid for some of my work.  It also means that with more and more people trusting what I can do, I have more people wanting to work with me, and it feels great.

To tell you the truth, a year and a half ago, I swore off doing what I love.  I decided I would never be able to do it, and never any well, so I got rid of everything I had that had anything to do with my passions, and settled into a life of dreaming behind a desk and hoping for a big break.

Maybe you’ve done this.  In fact, I would say that most people do this.  They decide they’re no good, or that there’s no way that they can do it for a living.  Don’t fall into this self defeating trap.  You’re just going to waste time, because a year from now, you’ll get the itch, and it will be strong, and you’ll pick it back up, whatever it is, and everything will seem right with the world when you do.  Either that, or you’ll spend the rest of your life denying what you love and holding yourself back from the fulfillment and happiness it can bring.

Again, I say, don’t fall into this trap.  Instead, find a way to do what you love at least once a week.  You don’t have to do it for a living today, just do what you love.  If you want to find a way to do it for a living, make a plan that is beleivable and workable, and that you can take steps toward each day.  Go out and meet people of similar interests.  That is so important.  I used to keep myself in a little bubble and dream about doing what I loved.  I never met people who were doing it.  The minute I decided I would do it no matter what, I was flooded with people who did it for a living, and want to work with me.  It has been breathetaking.

Don’t let your passions fall aside, follow them, do something toward them each day or at least each week.  You owe it to yourself.  Even if you think you can’t make a living doing it, you can do it.  As they say, where there is a will, there is a way.  Find a way to do what you love, and the money will follow, you’ll find a way to open the financial floodgate.  But first you have to decide to do it, no matter what.  That is number one.  No matter what other people think, do what you love.

I’ve recently poured tons of energy into my passions and it has started to pay off, financial in small amounts, but more importantly in the purpose I feel each day that I wake up and think about my passions.  Do you wake up feeling that way?  If not, it’s time for some changes.

I want to know what you love to do, leave a comment telling me what you love to do even if you never got paid for it.  Start doing it, and you can find a way to get paid if you decide you want to.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan

PS.  What do you love to do?

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