My thoughts on the article 3 Lies that will keep you from Pursuing your Passion.
How to find your passion by Jeff Goins http://goinswriter.com/find-your-passion/
This article was on my Article catcher du jour.
From Jeff Goins, these are the lies we tell ourselves from keeping us from doing we are passionate about.
Lie #1 I Don’t know what it is.
Lie #2 You have to become poor to do it.
Lie 3 One day, I’ll arrive –
I have a constant rotation of advice articles on my article feeds. At times all the advice blurs together. As I have noted before we are suckers for lists. This article had only three items in the list.
I will admit that I have been troubled by Lie #1 over the years. We all have. I have been lucky that I was a successful art director over the years. I love art and I love problem solving. But with life, we change and evolve. That former passion no longer gives you pleasure. What do you do? Some advice for finding your passion ranges from making endless lists of what you love to do. What if all you like to do is read? And problem solve and like people which included making connections.
Last year, I had to opportunity to purchase the company I used to work for. I was stoked. This was going to be an adventure. Which it was but not the kind that gets me the company in the end. It was a very disappointing time. But not for the work involved. There were extraneous issues that could not be over come. But I enjoyed pushing myself. I read books on topics I had no interest in three years ago. I pushed myself into rethinking the business model. My brain was on fire. I gathered information from a 15th century monk to give me the language of accounting. I read up on Queen Elizabeth I and her rise to the thrown taking a bankrupt nation and turning it into a powerful kingdom. When I stepped away from the sale, I was smarter than when I started. Disappointment? Yes, but I learned. I read. Stepping away from the sale was the smartest thing I had done. The start of the adventure, I had to create a company to purchase a company. No purchase of the company I had the question, “What to do next?” I may have not had an official plan B. But I did, deep down. What did I do? I read. I researched. I formulated hypothetical scenarios for a new business model. (I based my business model on successful Renaissance merchants and banks took notice of what I was working on) My passion, is reading. Reading is a broad topic. From the first lie, I know that what I want to do, I want to read. I want people to give me questions for me to review and find answers to help them. To acknowledge that I don’t know you have to be honest with yourself. I had to come to terms that I would not mind being that Mr. Beemis from the “Twilight Zone” who wants time enough at last, to read. I had to take that love of reading and apply that to what I can offer to future clients. I broke down the love of reading into creating a value, I can offer. Thinking outside of the box, read and retain knowledge, ask more questions. Creating a road map for clients who need answers.
Lie #2 You have to become poor to do it.
Looking at the economic landscape you need to realize we have to think differently on how to make money. We have to invest in ourselves. We need to look closely at the shared economy. In my seventeen years as an art director, I created an impressive rolodex of contacts. I have also, spent years being a volunteer advocate for my historic community and library system. All this adds up to connections. Connections add up to referrals. There is a bit of advice that is simple enough, “You need to love your customers.” I would go as far as saying you have to love your connections as well. Add some compassion for your fellow humans and you should find this is an equation to make the most of the support system you need to create.
Lie #3 One day I’ll arrive – Arrive where? Arrive to do what? The author of the article claims that it is the day dreaming aspect of, when I reach this goal, I would be happy. Or some other statement that keeps you from realizing that it is the work that you do that makes you happy. I can say that I have spent years ponding Aristotle’s ideas of what makes a compelling personality. Aristotle believed we strive to flourish. He used a term called Eudaimonia, which translates as having good demons. (I am particularly happy with this translation) Though some call it pursuit of happiness. I see it as a duty to ourselves that we become seekers of knowledge, experience emotional growth in all we do. When we strive we are already where we should be. We can enjoy large and small, profound and the subtle experiences that allows for expansive growth. We build upon each encounter, learn from failures, and pat ourselves on the back when things go right. We become compelling personalities. It is this striving for betterment which, in my vision, when you have arrived, that may be the end of your journey.