PART I: PASSION VS. PHASE
Good morning everyone and welcome back to the blog! I have taken a break from everything as you can see from the date of my last entry but I am back at it! Although I have not been posting entries to the blog or doing my podcast, I have still been reading, learning and preparing for my return as well as other projects.
The COVID-19 quarantine has been the craziest thing I have ever lived through, to date, but a quarantine away from the world turned out to be exactly what I needed. I have had a lot of time to think and grow, and today we are starting a new series! What Are You Good At? This series will be an in-depth look not only of what you are good at, but why? We will also dive in to whether what you do (and hopefully love to do) is truly your passion just another pastime. I know, I don’t know you, what you do, what you like to do. However, I have studied a lot about human behavior, the mind, mindsets, and entrepreneurial aspects.
So here we go! Today will be our first dissection with is what you love to do truly a passion, or is it just a phase?
What Do I Mean By A “Phase”?
The dictionary defines phase as:
- Any of the major appearances or aspects in which a thing of varying modes or conditions manifests itself to the eye or mind.
- A stage in a process of change or development.
I understand the first definition may be found as confusing but for this particular topic, it works. When a person is experiencing a “phase” passion (We will call it that) it is because they have seen something or know someone that has manifested itself into their life. For example, A “phase” I went through myself! My family and I love “Arrow” the CW television series that follows Oliver Queen, also known as, Green Arrow (obviously). After watching the show and watching them time and time again use hacking to save the day, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in Information Technology, focusing on Cybersecurity.
I did hours upon hours of research into labor and statistics, current job postings, and job growth predictions. After a few months, I enrolled in classes at my local college in pursuit of my degree. My first semester was amazing. I blazed through the classes and aced them. I felt on top of the world! But one thing haunted me. Each time I would talk to my wife about my career choice, it always led to “Just think of how much money I’ll make when I have my degree!”
Eventually, in my second semester, it occurred to me. “Am I chasing this only because of the income the job provides?” Not to say this is a bad thing, but for me it didn’t seem right. I have been called many things in my lifetime, some rightfully so, but I have always prided myself on not being a “dollar chaser” as I call them. So, I dug deeper within myself. Was I really willing to go in debt in student loans just to find I don’t want to do the job? Or even worst that I hate it? I found the answer to be no. Regardless of how large the paychecks would be. Would I love to stop bad people from stealing people’s identities, money, and security? Maybe. But I couldn’t take the risk of selfishly doing what should be a selfless career for money.
So, ask yourself these questions:
- Why do you do what you do?
- How did you find that you are passionate about your career choice?
- ARE YOU passionate about your career choice?
- If tomorrow you found you would no longer get paid to do your job, would you still do it, free of charge?
I get it. We all need to support ourselves and our families, so that last question is silly. But if you are truly passionate about something, you would want to continue to do so regardless. Even as I write this blog entry, I don’t get paid to do so. But through years of self-discovery, I found that I am passionate about helping people, teaching and inspiring, and writing. A lot of people do not know this about me, but I am actually a published author. I have been writing ever since I could put a pencil to paper. I self-published my novel on Amazon. It wasn’t successful from a sales standpoint, but it was one of my greatest achievements and I am damn proud of it.
How Can I Tell If It I Am In A Phase?
So by now, you may be starting to doubt yourself. Maybe not, but just in case I want to say that is not my intention. My intention is the same as always, to inspire others to look within themselves and discover their passion. So please, do not doubt yourself. If you feel doubt, think long and hard about why. Why are you doubting yourself? And how do you know if your current “passion” is really your true passion and purpose, or if it is just a phase?
I’ve touched on this briefly in section 1, but now we are going further in depth. So hold on tight! Let’s say you are an accountant. And I personally want to say more power to you because math makes my head hurt! Anyway, you are an accountant. You make a great salary, you help people like me who couldn’t balance a checkbook to save their life, and you love what you do. You go to work every day, 9-5, living the American dream! What do you do when you go home? Do you go home and jump on balancing your finances, work on financial investments? If you do, congratulations you have found your passion!
Let’s say you don’t, however. You go home, and to burn the stress and headache of the day, you go out to the garage and woodwork. After a long day at work, you spend yet another few hours crafting and maneuvering the wood into your own personal masterpiece. Your stress melts away, and a smile stays on your face. As you leave the garage, you’ll say something like:
“Why can’t I do this for a living?”
“Back to the real world!”
“I have to get in the shower and get to bed for work tomorrow!”
Sure, there is no guarantee you personally say something along these lines, but you may have thought it at some point in the past. Now, just bear with me a moment, let’s say the next day you had the realization you could woodwork for a living! People do it every day. So, day-in and day-out you sit at your desk chair, dreaming about woodworking. You draw some doodles on a scratch piece of paper in your spare time. Your passion for your “day job” is practically gone. Why? Why is this happening to you? I’ll tell you why! Because you may have accidentally stumbled across your true passion. Your sole purpose in life! Could you make a living woodworking?
Ask George Nakashima. George Katsutoshi Nakashima was an American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was one of the leading innovators of 20th century furniture design and a father of the American craft movement. In 1983, he accepted the Order of the Sacred Treasure, an honor bestowed by the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government. (Wikipedia) He did so through woodworking. If you are interested in woodworking or learning more about George, you can visit the website below:
I know I went on a bit of a rant, but I promise I meant well. The point is, whatever you do in your spare time, would you rather do that every day than your job? If so, I ask you to explore! Look within yourself. Experiment! Because anything is possible! If you need coaching or want to know how you could turn your passion into a money-making, bill-paying machine, feel free to contact me anytime! I would love to share my knowledge and help in any way!
So now, if this is you, you have come to the realization that your job is not your true passion. If it is not, let’s dive into the next section and put your passion to the test!
Why Do You Love It?
We have covered what a phase is, and how to tell if your “passion” is just a phase in your life, now let’s dig a little deeper! WHY do you love what you do? So I understand that in today’s economy, a lot of people are forced to do jobs they dislike or downright hate. I have been there as well. I have done everything from security guard to printing wallpaper. I honestly can say I despised going to work to print wallpaper. Yes, some prints were beautiful and in some aspect art. However, I couldn’t help but think, “How am I making the world a better place printing wallpaper?” I tried to tell myself that I was bringing beauty into the world. But when was the last time you personally looked at the wallpaper in an establishment? So that didn’t work. So the only plus to the job was the pay. I didn’t love it, but I tolerated it for 2 years simply because of the income.
Many people find ways to tolerate their job, or even possibly love their job.
- Their co-workers or team
- Pay
- The scope of their position
- Helping people
Once you can combine all of these things into one, and comfortably live your personal life doing so, congratulations, you may have found your passion. If through this self-discovery, you have found that your job is truly your passion, please continue to do so! And if at all possible, inspire others!
Ask Yourself!
So in conclusion, I’d like to ask you to take five to ten minutes and ask yourself these questions. Really dig deep!
- Am I truly living my passion?
- Am I stuck in a phase?
- How do I know it is/isn’t a phase?
- Why do I love what I do?
- How do I impact the world?
- Could I take my skills and knowledge and become my own boss?
- Is that something I want?
- Is there something I would enjoy more than what I am doing now?
As always, I greatly appreciate the support for my blog, podcast, and YouTube channel! If you haven’t and would like to, subscribe to each for inspiration and motivation. You can also follow me on social media! Please let me know in the comments what you think of this entry and if you have found you are truly living your passion! Love to everyone!
gRYnd Tyme w/ Ry the Reptile Guy podcast available on many podcast providers and anchor.fm!
Follow the show on Instagram @gryndtymewrythereptileguy
Twitter: @rythereptileguy
E-mail me anytime at: abundantlyfenmind@gmail.com
Ryan Glenn 