by Curt Rosengren
After the disillusionment of the dot-com implosion and the cold shock of 9/11, many people are increasingly questioning the career path they’ve taken. More and more people are sitting at their desks, muttering to themselves, “What the @#&%! am I doing here?”
Some have discovered that the brass ring they were reaching for never really existed. Others have woken up to see “LIFE’S TOO SHORT!” flashing in front of them, and are beginning to crave a more meaningful way to spend their days. For many, it’s a combination of the two.
It’s a trend that has been reflected in the national media. Po Bronson’s book, “What Should I Do With My Life?” was a best-seller, and the idea of finding passion in one’s career has been getting ever-increasing play in mainstream publications and TV talk shows.
What’s stopping us?
Of course, just because there is a growing trend toward wanting more personal fulfillment, out of work doesn’t mean everyone is hopping on the passion-wagon en masse. What’s stopping people?
In my work helping people find passion in their careers, I have talked to hundreds of people who want something more fulfilling out of their careers – many of whom carry a nagging suspicion that it’s not really possible.
Here are some of the recurring themes getting in their way:
That’s not what success looks like.
Success, in our classic American definition, can be summed up in one simple word…MO’. As in mo’ money, mo’ status, mo’ things.
Mo’ money is easy to quantify. Mo’ happiness, on the other hand, is not. Guess which one gets used more often as a ruler to measure success.
What will they think?
Many people go through some variation of the following theme: “If I do what I really want to do, what will they (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) think of me?” It’s common to base their decisions on others’ expectations (or even what they think others expect).
Work is called work for a reason.
Ahhhhh yes, that good ol’ Protestant work ethic. Where would we be if work were actually FUN? It’s amazing how many people have internalized the idea that work can’t be fun. And if it’s a foregone conclusion that it can’t be fun, why bother trying?
I can’t because…
There are a million reasons why people can’t, some valid, some bogus. Often they relate to the pursuit of mo’. At the core of many of them is fear.
I don’t know what else to do!
Before we can identify a direction to take, we have to have a solid understanding of what really lights our fire. And let’s face it, we don’t exactly live in an introspective culture. If something requires action, we’re all over it, but the need for a deep self-awareness leaves us squirming.
I don’t know how to get there from here.
Even if someone has a clear picture of what they would like to do, figuring out how to get there can feel daunting enough to keep them stuck in gumbo.
A new perspective
Pursuing your passion is definitely not the path of least resistance. It’s not the direction we’re culturally conditioned to take. But the people who have taken up the challenge and forged their own trails have found the rewards well worth it.
While high school math teacher Steve Smith earns substantially less now than he did as a dot com VP, he says the impact of the reduced earnings is minimal. “I don’t think the quality of life varies as directly as people think with the amount you can afford.” he says.
“At one point I had a lot more money and material things than I have now. We’re not poor by any stretch of the imagination today, but I have a lot less than I once had, and I’m much happier, much more contented, and much more confident that what I’m doing is the right thing for me.”
Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Editor at Slate, began her career as a rising legal star. With a Yale undergraduate education and a law degree from Stanford, she was set for the glittering prizes. There was just one problem – she hated it. Eventually, she decided to jump ship and set her sights on becoming a writer, a move she has never regretted.
Last year, she and her husband had a baby, something that brought her reason for making the switch into focus. “Now we’re thinking about what what we want for our kid,” she says, “and I just want him to have two parents who are soaring.
“Whether we make a ton of money, or have a boat, or can send him to soccer camp, is sort of on the sidelines. What matters is to see people who are happy. I just think, why wouldn’t a kid grow up to soar himself if he sees that modeled?”
The Power of Passion
In 1962, Srully Blotnick began a study focused on 1500 new college graduates. He divided those 1500 people into two groups. The first, which made up 83% of the total, chose their careers based on the potential for making a lot of money. The remaining 17% chose their career based on what they loved doing.
Twenty years later he revisited the two groups. Of the original 1500 people, there were 101 millionaires. Of those 101 millionaires, 100 came from the 17% that chose their path based on what they loved!
The point I want to make with this isn’t that if you pursue your passion you’re more likely to get rich. It’s that there is an incredible power to doing something you really love.
Before I discovered my Passion Catalyst (sm) work, I floated somewhat aimlessly through a career in marketing. When it came to the future, I always assumed that some people had vision, and some didn’t. I felt like I was clearly in the no-vision camp.
When I would get the “where do you see yourself in five years” interview question, I would make up some lie, but the truth was, I couldn’t see myself in two years, much less five.
Now I realize that it wasn’t for lack of vision. It was because underneath it all, I didn’t want to see myself five years further down the path I was on.
What a difference passion makes! Now, not only do I have a five-year plan for what I’m doing, but it’s come from my daydreams! And the energy and excitement to make it happens comes from doing it.
When you’re excited about what you’re doing, you have more energy for it. When you have more energy for it, you can accomplish more, and keep the momentum going. It’s that simple.
Coming up next…
Making it happen. [24×7]
