What’s your true passion?
- By C L Haden -
- Jan 12, 2012
‘Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love’ – David McCullough
There are many qualities that are required to be an entrepreneur. Motivation, dedication and determination spring to mind but there is one quality you must have. This quality can be the missing ingredient and is the deciding factor of a successful entrepreneur.
This quality is passion.
I’m not talking about a liking for something, a passing phase, or even something to pass the time away with. Are you prepared to eat, breathe and sleep your passion?
When I was 16, I left school with one GSCE in English. With a fear of academic education, I decided to take a NVQ in administration. It was the closest that I was going to get to use my GCSE, and so admin became my chosen career. I’d decided then that I never wanted to work for anyone else and got it into my head that I wanted to be a self-employed administrator. So I took a college course and a placement in a local company for experience. When I first started, I was overjoyed with administration, as it seemed so easy but then the reality of doing the same thing for 40 hours a week set in. I’d be having lunch with my office files, be in bed with one eye on the file and one eye on sleep and soon asked myself did I really want to make paperwork my life’s ambition? The short answer was no and so I ignored my decision and carried on with my life’s plan.
A year later I went back to college as my life’s plan was not working out due to boredom. I decided to take up bookkeeping. Why? Well to prove my grade seven teacher that I wasn’t thick because I didn’t know the quantity of 'X'. My aim was to be a self-employed bookkeeper. Not only were my fingers too wide for the calculator, but I hated maths with a passion. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that, I did not pass my course.
Not passing my course devastated me; it made me feel that my grade seven teacher was right. However it was only when someone asked; if I could do anything in the world, what would it be? I said a writer. This time, I took a long hard think about this prospect, what it would mean to me, and what it would involve. My brain screamed I’d love to do that!
Two years later and I’m now a self-employed writer. I’m happy to dine in with the laptop, I’m more than happy to have my notepad accompany me to bed and my blogs are better company than most of my friends! (Don’t tell them that) I can’t wait to get up in the morning, to finish my writing projects, and I struggle to switch the laptop off come the end of the night. I love what I do, and it shows in my work.
If you’re doing something because it’s expected of you, or because it pays a decent wage, or even because you know you won’t fail at it, then the chances are you’re not living your passion and in time it will begin to show.
I shall end this blog with another quote I live by: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius”
Need I say more?
Picture by luigi diamanti from free digital photos.
By C L Haden. Blogs at forwardfocusmagazine.com
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