Following Your Passion Is Overrated? | National Entrepreneurs Day

What does it mean to "Follow One's Life Passions?"

A life passion can be described as an internal desire and enthusiasm consisting of the motivational drive to pursue a goal which is aligned with one's life vision and purpose. It is the pursuit of a goal which enables you to fulfil your greatest potential whilst following the path of least resistance. For instance, a purposeful and intentional life path, which enables you to feel internally fulfilled, regardless of external challenges and influencing factors.

A passion does not operate independently from a life purpose and vision, "Reason Why."

According to Sandy Patangay, Owner of Beautiful Cake Designs , "a life passion to an entrepreneur means a strong drive to change an idea or method into a profitable venture. Passion in business must go hand in hand with profitability to be a successful entrepreneur.

Is Following Your Passion Overrated?

The words "following your life passion," can be misinterpreted and mean different things to each individual. For instance, it can be made to appear that once you determine what your passion is, life will become easier. Moreover, that you will be able to obtain a successful lifestyle more easily; live a happier and freer lifestyle with minimal challenges. Whilst in reality this is not an accurate reflection of what it takes to pursue and actualize one's life passion.

For people who struggle to determine what their passion is, they might feel as though they are failing in life. More so, if they are influenced by external influencing factors (i.e., Social and Digital Media Influencing Factors).

Case in example, "choose a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius. This quote and statement alone can be misinterpreted to mean that life will become much easier, once you choose a career path love.

The reason why "following a life passion," can be perceived as being overrated is due to the following challenges most people are confronted by when attempting to pursue personal and professional goals they are passionate about;

Being accustomed to old traditional and cultural practices: You may have been brought up to believe that you need to have a "professional job" in order to become successful in life. For example, a career which is recognized as being socially and culturally acceptable by your family, friends and social networks. You may have been brought to believe that you can't earn an income from pursing your hobbies and life passions. Following one's passions might be perceived as, "not being serious enough," about one's future and career path.

Self-Limiting beliefs of one's capability and potential due to social and cultural expectations/beliefs, inclusive of economic and environmental factors/pressures. Social and cultural expectations, may then lead you to believe that following a life passion is overrated and to not pursue your ambitions.

Consuming misleading information from Social and Digital Media about what it takes to follow one's life passions. For instance, only seeing the end product and glossy pictures of what it takes to actualize one's greatest potential.

Being influenced by external determining factors of what it means to become successful. Buying into other people's narratives of what you should become, or what trends to follow as a brand personality. Following trend cultures, may steer you away from showing up as your authentic self. In turn, this can lead to self-limiting mindset challenges (i.e., self doubt, perfectionism and self-sabotage) as a consequence make it harder to believe that it is possible to pursue a life passion and become successful.

The above examples are some of the reasons why, "following your passions," can be perceived as being overrated.

Self-worth and validation (mindset development

Lessons Learnt and Tips:

1. It is possible to pursue one's life passion and become successful and internally fulfilled, especially when you are internally motivated and driven by your "Reason Why," life purpose and vision.

2. Start working from within without depending on external influencing factors this can help you to determine what you truly want to do with in life. It takes overcoming self-limiting beliefs. This can be achieved by committing to continuous self-development and seeking the right specialist support (i.e. Mentorship and Coaching).

3. Invest time in writing the (the goals you visualize), rather than only retaining the information in your mind and hoping your dreams will eventually become a reality. Additionally, challenge yourself to follow through your intuition and visions; no matter how long it takes by setting realistic and current goals. This will enable you to live a more fulfilled and happier lifestyle.

4. Seek support from specialist in areas you are seeking personal and professional growth in, to help you in clearly identifying what you would like to realistically pursue and achieve. This can help you with overcoming self-limiting beliefs, inclusive of external ideals/influences which hold you back from pursing your personal and professional goals.

5. Determine what is your definition of success is (lifestyle expectations) and what you value most; when it comes to earning a good living.

How do you quantify success and happiness?
What are your beliefs about money and its value?
Where do your beliefs of success come from?
When do you believe you will ultimately feel happier, as result of following your life passion (purpose-reason why)?

6. Routinely practice letting go off immediate/instantaneous financial rewards and success results. Mindset growth practice can be beneficial for long term sustainability in pursing life passions. This also includes letting go off immediate need to be recognized/validated by other people (i.e., family, friends, personal/professional networks and strangers).

7. Accept that there are no definitive success solutions on what it takes to achieve a life passion. Focus more on your personal growth journey, lessons learnt experiences, including the actions you take on a consistent basis whilst pursuing your life passion. For example, focus on the challenges you achieve mindset wise. Looking back, you will see your personal and professional growth progress, including the lessons learnt along the way. Overcoming mindset challenges is also what you can quantify as achieving life passion success goals.

Most people often equate success to money more than their own personal growth process as a success measure. For instance, success measures such as a social and professional status, titles, qualifications and materialistic objects. When at the end of the day, the only success measure is you as an individual (personal growth - who you become), whilst materialistic objects are secondary measures of success.

When you only pursue financial and materialistic objects as your main measures of success, the likelihood is that you will struggle with internal self-fulfillment.

8. Courage over comfort. The willingness to step outside of your comfort zone often. This is where you are most likely to excel most in actualizing your greatest potential.

Self-awareness (mindfulness) is also key. For example, developing self-awareness mindset skills on what holds back from taking the first step and actualizing your greatest potential. Also, taking personal accountability and accepting results of your inactions. For instance, challenging yourself honestly whether you can live with not pursing your goals. If you are not happy with your inactions, it is about taking the personal responsibility in following through with your intended life passion pursuits/goals regardless of fear.

9. Take proactive action in achieving daily goals, and self-reward when you have accomplished your goals; no matter how small or insignificant the goal might appear. Keep in mind that focusing on grander future goals in the present can lead to setting unrealistic goal setting and expectations.

To end, pursing a passion alone is not sufficient. You have to be committed in investing time in also discovering/determining what your greater intended life purpose is (your reason why and greater good causes you want to contribution to). Your "Reason Why," usually aligns with your life vision- "what you visualize often being able to do and achieve. Including good causes you want to contribute to."

You follow a passion, because it is something you enjoy and love doing. You do it because it helps you to personally and professional grow as an individual. It helps you to show up as your authentic self, by holding onto your core sense of self and values.

Lastly, keep in mind digital transformation made it easier more than ever before to pursue one's life passions, to earn a sustainable income and to live a fulfilling lifestyle. Easier in terms of accessibility to Digital Technology and Resources, which can enable and empower you to eventually achieve your goals in the long term. Pursuing one's life passion does not only need to be limited to becoming an entrepreneur. You can also successfully thrive in your chosen career path. Nowadays, there are more companies which are accepting that it is better to focus on key strengths (including creativity skills) of their employees as part of their business growth and staff retention strategy.

Following one's passion takes self-belief, patience, perseverance and understanding that there is no time limit of when you need to achieve your life passions. It is an ongoing life goal which transforms with you as part of your ongoing personal and professional growth journey.

Just as Rome was not built in a day, nor should your pursuits of life passion and purpose.

What is life without a passion, vision and purpose to pursue?

Can you live a meaningful and fulfilled lifestyle without following your life passions?

My Personal Story

Once upon a time, I believed that my life passion was my job, this was until I had a lightbulb moment during a Personal Development Event in London. At the time, I believed my passion was my career in Quality Management. I was challenged by the speaker of the event for the first time in my life, to review/reassess my life passions.

Until then, I had never thought deeply thought about what my life passions were. I was coasting along in my career and living through the discontent of an unfulfilled lifestyle.

Revisiting my childhood hobbies helped me to reconnect with my true life passions and to start following through with my intended Life Purpose and Vision. Looking back, as a child, I was passionate about creative writing, photography and videography and enjoyed travelling to unfamiliar places/countries. I did not following through these hobbies due to old traditional education and career expectations at the time. Also due to self-limiting beliefs which crippled me for many years.

Life challenging and changing circumstances enabled me to realize that my end goal in life was not my corporate career or financial expectations. My financial, economic and social expectations changed, as I became content with living within my means (gratitude for what I already had). I started to value money differently, and now perceive it as a vehicle to enabling me to achieve grander goals in life which are connected to my life vision and purpose (i.e. contributing to good causes connected to helping women and girls). Money is not no longer a limiting factor to pursing personal and professional goals. I used to believe that I need sufficient income, before I took the leap of faith in pursing my goals. The truth of the matter, is that money is never sufficient. It about developing a different relationship with money, and it's value.

My success outcomes and measures for internal fulfilment are connected to who I am becoming, rather than financial/momentary value. I am also doing things now which are linked to my childhood creative hobbies, which enable me to excel further with least resistance. This is also because, I view self-limiting challenges which I have overcome as my success measures. This type of mindset enables me to authentically show up as my true self and to follow through with my intended life purpose goals and vision.

Developing a growth and success mindset has enabled me to focus on grander things in life which are linked to contributing to good social and community causes (i.e. through content creations and being part of like-minded Digital Nomad Global Communities). In turn by focusing on the internal self and contributing to greater good things in life, this has left me feeling more internally fulfilled regardless of outcomes.