One of my favorite newsletters is from Kali Hawlk. Every time I read one of her emails I think to myself “Yep, exactly.” She’s a deep thinker who can clearly express her thoughts.
I’m a deep thinker too, only when I go to write out those types of posts they come out all weird. Like, unintentionally depressing rather than uplifting.
In one of Kali’s recent newsletters the topic was her thoughts on “following your passion.” (And her advice wasn’t Follow Your Passion but just do something – anything. Here’s a link to the article I’m referring to.)
Following your passion as a career is such a romantic notion. It really is. But like most romantic notions this tidbit of advice ignores something crucial – reality.
I personally think that if you’re looking to earn more money and create your own job that following your passion can be stupid advice. Like, real stupid.
Here’s why.
Passions Change
My interests change a lot. Sometimes I feel highly passionate about saving boatloads of money, starting online businesses, getting new clients, and now, I’m currently passionate about farm animals and homesteading. (I’m trying to talk Jamie into getting pigs and goats. I need more time – my arguments haven’t worked yet.)
Passions fizzle, fade, and change as your life changes. I think there are very few people who will be passionate about the same thing their entire life.
Passions are Not Always Profitable
They’re not.
My friend is passionate about drinking beer. For real. Do you think he’s going to get paid for that?
Jamie is currently passionate about his tractor. Do you think quitting his job and working with his tractor half of the year is going to be more profitable than his current job? I highly doubt it.
I’m passionate about my kids. (Maybe a better word is overprotective.) Should I monetize them?
The things that we are the most passionate about might never be profitable. Theirs is nothing wrong with that!
Even if they were profitable you can quickly kill your passion by monetizing it. Which brings us to the next point.
Turning Your Passion Into a Money Maker Might Kill Your Passion
When you want to make money off of some type of business or service do you know what’s involved? Marketing. Pitching. Selling. Working.
You’re turning your passion into a job that you have to do or you’re not going to be able to pay the bills. That passion, after a little while, becomes less fun. You no longer have a choice as to whether you want to do this thing for fun. You have to do it.
It might not happen instantaneously but give it some time. Feeling the need to earn money from the things you enjoy most and then having that go horribly wrong? Your passion is going to fade.
You Know What I’m Really Passionate About??
Creating a job for myself where I can do the things I want on my own terms. Where I’m free to take my girls to school each morning. Where I can keep sick kids home without pissing off my boss. Where I can go outside at noon and talk to my chickens or volunteer to watch my niece at the drop of a hat. That is what I love and what I do for money allows me to follow my passions.
Do you think I’m passionate about freelance writing? I’m not.
I don’t hate it. I like it. I’m just not passionate about it.
I know a lot of writers are following their passions by writing. That’s not me. The truth is I tried a kabillion different ways to earn money so that I could make more than $11.50 per hour and not have to work two jobs.
Freelance blogging was like my gateway drug to that lifestyle. I could find my own clients, set my own rates, and work any time of day I pleased. I didn’t become a freelance writer because writing was my passion I did it because it allowed to me to create the life I was passionate about.
So What Do You Do?
You do something that you at least mildly enjoy that produces an income. And then you create the life you want to be living. You spend and save that money in a way that is valuable to YOU.
If you’ve created a career out of your passion that’s awesome. Seriously. It is.
But I think the vast majority of us aren’t going to be passionate about the same thing our entire life. And furthermore, I think a lot of us are passionate about things that aren’t going to pay the bills. And if we did monetize those passions, after a little while they wouldn’t be passions anymore. They’d be work.
That doesn’t mean you can’t create a job you enjoy. I enjoy what I do most of the time. Sometimes it’s really fun. Other times it’s not. That’s life.
Obviously, I was passionate about this topic when I wrote this post. 🙂
I’m just sayin’ don’t feel bad if you’re having trouble with this “follow your passion” advice. You don’t have to make money off of a passion to be happy. And you don’t have to be deeply passionate about something to make money off of it.
If you’re like me your passion changes every six months and boy would that be exhausting to try and keep up with.
I will end this post here since I’ve now officially used the word passion about five thousand times.
The end.
Great post, Alexa! I have trouble with this sometimes as I’m not sure I really have one defined passion in life. I’m glad you explained that you used your business to create a life you are passionate about even if what you do to earn money isn’t your true passion.
Yes 🙂 I like what I do but what I love is that what I do provides the life I want. That is for sure the best part!
Brilliant! Bravo!
I’ve heard “experts” like Ramit Sethi talk about following your passion. He always thought it was a bad idea. It took me a long time to get that. I would explain in differently.
Follow your passions but take your common sense with you! Just because you have a passion does not mean that there is a good paying market for your output. If you love woodworking that is great. But some markets will pay better then others. If you are fixated on something random or out of style you may be giving up a lot of income.
Alexa: We need video of the chickens. seriously/ Maybe even a YOuTube channel. You know how you can watch a fireplace on TV or your computer monitor at Christmas time ? We need the chicken relaxation video / channel !!!
Yes. Do it with common sense is good advice. And you just wait – I am *this close* to getting my piggys. Then I’ll have to do a farm tour 🙂
This is an awesome post, Alexa!! I read Kali’s too 🙂
I completely agree with you. I enjoy blogging and freelancing, but it’s not like I’d choose to do that “for fun” haha. I’m also passionate about my kids and my husband, and want to be there for all of them. I want a flexible life that allows me time at home and with my family, and like you – that is freelancing and blogging (though I also work full time LOL).
Love reading your blog!! 🙂 And random question you absolutely don’t have to answer, but do you think you will have more kiddos?! I am back and forth with wanting another (I also have two girls). Some days I’m extremely “passionate” about a third and other days I’m like “no way” haha.
I would like to have another baby but I’m not sure that it’s going to happen. My body doesn’t seem to like the idea so now I’m just getting my “baby fixes” from my niece. It makes me super grateful that I had my girls relatively young when my body wanted to cooperate.
While I would like a baby, especially now that both of my kids are in school I think I’ll be happy either way 🙂
This is right on the money. I’m very crafty and love to sew, but turning it into a business would make me hate it. Everytime I make something somebody has to utter the words “you should sell those!” Yeah… they’re great, but after making three or four of the same item, it has run its course and I’m over it. I love writing, but I”m not passionate about it. I’m passionate about my kids (and their wellbeing) and being organized. Therefore I write about that. 🙂
I completely understand! There are a lot of things I enjoy doing but I know if I put the pressure on myself to make them profitable I’d hate them.
I’m not sure if this is related to the e-mail that I sent you a while back, but that you for writing about this topic!
You’re welcome 🙂 I think it’s a great thing to have multiple interests/passions I just don’t think the follow your passion advice is as straightforward as some people make it sound.
I love this post! I am currently reading a book about moms making money from home and use what your passionate about and stuff. I think this word shouldn’t be use to say hey you can make money. I’m with you my passion is my kids and my family. Heck, I quit my job to be with them and I didn’t turn this passion into money.
I like my blog but it took me a while to get it done right because it went somewhere. Am I passionate about my blog? No I have a control emotion about it LOL. I love that is allowing me to make money and stay at home! Again, awesome post!
Yeah I can totally relate to that. My passion and interest for my blog usually comes and goes in waves. (I’m sure you can tell.) If I’m writing about what I want to write about I feel happy with it. The problem is that it’s the stuff that I don’t feel like writing about that brings in the money. So there’s the fun side and the not so fun side. But I think that’s true with just about everything!
Really like this post! I am so sick of people saying to me “Follow your passion” because the truth is I don’t really have a passion that I could make money from. I do love to write and I am trying to learn how to blog. If I can turn that into a lucrative career then that would be fabulous, but for now all I am doing is trying to swim. Like you said, passions come and go and you can’t always make money off of them.
Yeah and when you feel the pressure to earn money from something you enjoy it can suck the fun out of it.
Just go one day at a time with blog and learn as much as you can. I think there’s a lot to be learnt from just jumping in doing and learning from mistakes.
passions can change from years and period but true passion remain in our life forever and is good that you create a good life full of your passions…. I’m sure you’ll have good topic for animals:P
Yes, my passion lately seems to be self-sufficiency and farm animals. 🙂
Like you, my passion changes often. When I began blogging my passion was too retire in 12 years. Now I’m passionate about paying off $17,000 of debt by next year. I’m sure my passion will continue yo change as life progresses.
Yes exactly. As we grow our interests can dramatically change. Hard to say what we’ll be passionate about next year.
I love this debate. I’m on your side – follow your passion is not good advice. I remember 9 or 10 years ago when I started my college search and heating counselors and teachers telling us to “follow your passion” and “you can be anything you want to be”. Even then as a 17-year-old I thought, that doesnt make any sense.
So Good They Cant Ignore You by Cal Newport is a great book.
Great Article! As I’ve been trying to figure out a side hustle, everything I’ve read on the internet says follow your passion. Like you, my passions change a lot, I’m also into different things. I want to create a job where I can do things on my own terms as well, with my current job I sometimes work the graveyard shift and have to make sure my schedule doesn’t collide with my husbands so that there’s someone to watch our almost two year old and take our oldest to school. Or staying home if I’m feeling sick and not worry about it counting against me at work.
Passion? Interset? Should we really be deterring people from following their passion? I am passionate about many things or should I say I am interested in many things? I can safely say I am passionate about learning which pretty much sums up the multitude of passion/interest. When looking for a career I do consider passion but it is not the only thing I take into consideration when figuring out which career path to choose from. As a single mother, I need flexibility, decent pay, and recognition. (Recognition was recently added due to good ideas, by me, being accredited to people, like my boss, who never had a single original thought in his head.) On the other hand, when looking for a job I just need something do-able to get me through the bills. True passion originates from a successful soul search experience. My true passion, however, can be summed up as a notion. To make the world a better place. True passions do not change. It can take on different forms but the main point (for a lack of a better word) still resonates within. So, if you find yourself with a never-ending passion list it is time to ask yourself what are the commonalities behind this list? Is this a true passion? What truly matters to you? What are you not able to live without? These and many more question should move things along when understander a career path that is right for you.