Purpose and Passion

Time and again, we see a barrage of posts and articles advising us to follow our passion. It’s indeed a beautiful thing to discover what you’re passionate about. When you figure what it is that you truly love doing, it feels like your life is going to change overnight.

We read a lot of success stories online where someone quit his/her day job and started following their passion. It sounds lovely and tempting at first sight to do that. Fact check: It is harder than you think! You need to plan ahead and bring together enough finances to sustain a comfortable living.

In the book, 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, the author Brianna Wiest writes, “A good life isn’t passionate, it’s purposeful. Passion is the spark that lights the fire; purpose is the kindling that keeps the flame burning all night.”

And that’s exactly why we see so many people failing miserably when they decide to follow their passion. What’s even more important than being passionate is to be purposeful. To dive deep into our minds and ask ourselves The Why and The What.

• What is it that makes your life feel worth it?
• What is it that you feel would bring about a positive change in your life?
• Why would you want to pursue whatever you’ve decided?
• Why does doing that particular “something” bring meaning to your life?

These questions seem to be very easy to answer at first sight. But they need a lot of contemplation and introspection. More than passion and “spark”, what’s even more essential is to be intentional regarding what you choose to do. If there’s no meaning to what you’re doing, then it’s nothing but a sheer waste of time and efforts.

On this point, author Austin Kleon in his book Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, says, “Keep your day job. A day job gives you money, a connection to the world, and a routine. Freedom from financial stress also means freedom in your art. A day job puts you in the path of other human beings. Learn from them, steal from them.” He continues, “The worst thing a day job does is take time away from you, but it makes up for that by giving you a daily routine in which you can schedule a regular time for your creative pursuits. Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time. Figure out what time you can carve out, what time you can steal, and stick to your routine. Do the work every day, no matter what.”

To take exciting and supposedly life-changing decisions on a whim sounds thrilling and challenging. To tread carefully on your path and decide after giving a lot of thought is wise. Before you choose to follow your heart, make sure you’re ready to commit every waking hour of the day towards that dream you’ve set your eyes on. And only then move ahead.

It’s marvellous when a career and a passion come together. And we should always push our boundaries and capabilities to do all that we can to live the life we dream of living. But yes, finding your purpose and actually putting in considerable effort matters even more to make it come true.

Until next time, stay blessed. Stay safe.

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