There’s one question that almost everyone has heard since they were 5 and it’s this: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. And as children, we all felt pressured to respond with the “right” answer. It also doesn’t help that there are hundreds of career options to choose from and it makes it even more confusing.
But first, we must discuss the difference between a career and a job. A job is an activity or task performed by an individual to earn a livelihood. On the other hand, a career can be defined as a journey of the work-life of an individual. In other words, a job is a means to fulfill needs while a career is an end in itself.
A lot of people get through life working on a job without the promise of a career and others maintain a career doing a job they don’t like. This begs another question, should we follow our passion?
Benefits of following your passion
In today’s world that we live in, money is definitely a powerful tool. But choosing to chase it often comes at a high price of doing something that doesn’t ignite your soul.
However, this dilemma is not black and white. There’s actually a gray area wherein you can do the thing you love while earning a good amount of money. It’s worth noting that should you choose to pursue your passion, workdays will seem less monotonous, and there won’t be a dull feeling washing over you when your alarm goes off in the morning. “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life,” may sound like a washed-out cliche, but there’s some truth to it.
More productivity
Being passionate is directly linked to being productive. If it really is something you’re passionate about, there’s a sense of contentment with what you have accomplished for the day and beyond. You take pride in your work and it’s enough reason to keep doing what you’re doing.
Motivation
Another obvious reason is loving what you do brings in motivation because it’s activated by your own desires rather than material gains. Oftentimes, we find ourselves lacking the motivation to do anything, but when someone presents us with something we enjoy, it will definitely make us get out of bed even before the alarm goes off.
Disadvantages of following your passion
If there are benefits to following your passion, there are also disadvantages that may occur if we choose to do what we love all the time. We must also remember that not everyone has a passion to pursue and for some, their passion changes over time.
Here are some disadvantages of following your passion:
It might turn into a “job”
We all know that work can be stressful at times especially when deadlines are hovering over our heads. This can turn problematic when it draws dangerously close to turning us against our passion.
At some point, your passion may not be something you do for yourself, but something that brings in the paycheck at the end of the month losing the shine it once had.
Money
Another obvious risk you will be taking is that your passion may not be compatible with the market. More times than not, people have passions that either don’t pay well or the industry is too big to penetrate, which can be problematic and discourage them from pursuing it.
At the end of the day, whether we choose to pursue our passion or not we can still choose to do simple acts of kindness that can bring smiles to other people.
If you’re a business owner who runs a restaurant or wellness clinic and your passion is providing comfort, you can express this to your clients by providing wet towels and wipes for them. A simple gesture but it shows that you love what you’re doing and this is something that customers always watch out for.
Here at Oshiklenz we can provide you with carefully curated packages that you can use for your business. If you’re interested, you can inquire by calling (+61) 2 9533 2211 or email info@oshiklenz.com.au and our customer representatives will be standing by to assist you.