I have been living the dream for the past 4 years as a florist and I enjoy working on each project and serve more than a hundred of my clients. Putting my creative juices to work always gives me a natural high. Yes, working on my passion through my business did not always have a steady pace going up, but I knew that I shouldn't stop just yet because this is my passion and my calling, at least for this season of my life. Being on this road for sometime taught me valuable lessons that I will keep for life. And being on this road also made me realize that I should be able to help those who are dreaming of chasing after their dreams, by sharing to them what I have learned so far.
Out of curiosity, I Googled the phrase "following your passion" and found tons of encouraging articles filled with good and valid reasons why one should always go after one's passion and chase one's dreams. A few of these reasons are: 1) Work on something that you love and you will never work another day in your life again;
2) Passion trumps money anytime, since not everyone will be happy with just having money; 3) Working on the things that you are passionate about gives you a sense of fulfillment.
Having experienced these myself, I could somehow say, that there's truth to these statements.
However, reading from the variety of articles, I can't help but notice that there are two important things about this topic that were seldom discussed if not at all mentioned. Let me share with you what these are.
A Fair Trade?
1. To do something that you like and earn from it also means that you have to do things you dislike or even hate
For example, you are a naturally creative person, you are good with your hands and you have a vivid and colorful imagination. However, you currently have a job that pays you to sit in front of your computer all day answering emails or pacify irate clients. Wouldn't you dream of quitting your job and be, say for example, a fashion designer instead? Maybe your hands can do magic each time you hold a set of drawing materials and sketch pad. Maybe you can actually create wardrobe fit for royalty. You have talent that way. Wouldn't you rather be an actual fashion designer to the stars if the opportunity presents itself? Wouldn't you give up a stressful job that doesn't give you the pay that you deserve to go after your passion with a drop of a hat? Some would say yes, others would say no, especially if there are other people who depend on them.
But let's look at those who would say yes to the opportunity.
Following your passion means you won't just focus on the things that you like. Most of the time, you would have to master the art of doing things that you actually hate. Its true when you're doing something that you really like, everything else (including doing things that you dislike) seems easier to handle. However, it is also true that when clouds underneath your feet have cleared and the natural "passion high" have subsided, you will still face the reality of answering emails or picking up phone calls and assisting and or reasoning with clients. There's actually more to it than you signed up for.
Maybe you don't like numbers, you will realize that you will actually have to learn decent accounting and worse, taxation. Maybe you find law tearfully boring, you will realize that you will actually have to be knowledgeable about a wide variety of laws on top of the basic laws that you already know. More importantly, maybe you like to keep the sanctity of your Sabbath or personal and family time, you will learn that following your passion would actually diminish the barrier between your personal life and work. My advice is, before you jump onto the golden path, think of and possibly list down your priorities and non-negotiables, that not even your "passion" can interfere with. Think long and hard if it is going to be a fair trade. If you used to hate your job because it demanded so much from you, then guess what, following your passion would demand much more, sometimes more than what you're willing to give. What I'm saying is that you should go about chasing your dream not only with a whole heart, but most importantly with a clear mind that can see beyond the present times and with a clear goal that would help you determine in time once the passion has been followed and the dream has been lived, and be satisfied and thankful for the opportunity and for your accomplishment. Don't miss the precious moment of having to pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
2. Know the sustainability of your passion
Sustainability is important especially when it comes to raising something from the ground up. You would normally see the word sustainability correlated with words such as new business ventures and sometimes even with charitable and social causes.
I also dare to relate it to pursuing one's passion. There are questions that need to be answered:
1) How long will it take you to work on your dream and make it into reality? Can you actually afford to invest in such length of time? 2) Imagine yourself more than 20 years from now, do you still see yourself "living the dream"? If you find yourself really passionate about doing a particular thing, and you can envision yourself doing it for the rest of your life with no questions asked, congratulations, you are really blessed, then yes go and follow your passion.
However, as for the rest of us, I learned one thing: No dream or passion is infinite and no dream or passion is exclusive, and every dream and passion has a time frame. Our passion is modified with every change in our perspective, personal and or surrounding circumstances, series of obstacles and solutions, and even our physical and intellectual capabilities and emotional and spiritual conditions. At the end, you would need to find out if your passion/ dream can live through the changing times.
The path to following your passion actually has three connecting roads. The first one is somewhat long and bumpy because it would test your patience and determination, and would require you to work, sweat, cry, bleed for and even defend your passion/dream. The second one is the longest path that is sometimes smooth but also comes with a lot of rough road patches. The part where you are actually living your dream by the day and dealing with different challenges and difficulties one at time, not smooth all through out, but still you enjoy the ride in its entirety. The second road ends and gives you joy and a sense of accomplishment. However when pursued further, the third road becomes rough again and brings unnecessary discomfort.
Solution? Dream of pursuing numerous worthwhile, well-thought of and time-bound dreams. Avoid choosing and being stuck with one and call it a day. Chase after it, praise it's Giver, work on it, improve yourself, learn from it, share it and mentor other aficionados like yourself, then recognize when the dream has been accomplished, and its time to chase after a new one.
I say this to myself often: "Don't be afraid to say Next because its not a sign of failure".
It may mean that you have already transformed into the person that you ought to be by staying and following your passion for that specific season in your life. It also means that we shouldn't be afraid to grow up and grow wise. And that we should muster the courage and trust the One who lights our path when He assures us that the journey continues even though a season has ended. You just have to look up and see for yourself that there's more interesting and life changing roads to tackle. All you need to do is thank and bid an old dream farewell, and take your first step in walking through new paths in pursuit of fresher passions. I believe you can do it. Go for it. Its not failure, but courage to start anew. The most important thing is that you NEVER stop dreaming and KEEP ON following your passions, even if it means letting go of your treasured accomplished dreams and embracing and working on new lofty aspirations. Just keep on going.
God bless you! :)
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