Should I Pursue My Passion?

Were you taught that your career choice should be marketable? In other words, you should be able to submit your resume and get quality jobs. However, many people want to pursue their passion. The problem is a passion does not always seem like it will ever pay the bills. 

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So many of us are really good at, and enjoy music, or art, or writing, but we only do them as a fun hobby. Let's face it - working in a 9-to-5 for a big, established company appears to be the safer and wiser financial decision. 

Here Are a Few Reasons 

1. Financial institutions will take you more seriously if you approach them for a loan with an impressive job letter.
2. You might have children to think about, and if something should happen to you, a struggling business is not what you would want to leave behind.
3. The big company offers a great retirement package, that your passion pursuits cannot compete with.
4. Working for an established company might help you save money to do what you really want to do later on.
5. You're afraid it will fail, and perhaps with good reason. Statistics show that in 2021, the number of failed businesses increased to nearly 50 percent by their fifth year. 

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With all these daunting thoughts, it is easy to see why many people give in to the rat race and cast their dreams behind them - some at least for a while, but many for good. In fact, one survey found that only 20% of respondents are truly passionate about their work.

All Is Not Lost

Although alternative vocational paths seem financially doomed, there are a few tools you can use to make your passion a source of income.

• YouTube 

YouTube allows anyone with a Gmail account to start a channel. You can upload videos or do live streams to gain publicity for your products or services. As your channel's subscribers and views grow, you can get a payout from YouTube. If you choose not to participate in their monetization, the popularity of your channel can be leveraged to an external website or even a brick-and-mortar store.

• Print on demand 

If you're an author, designer or artist, services like Contrado, Amazon, and Printful, among many others, can print your books (Amazon) and other artwork (Contrado, Printful, etc) and ship them to your customers. This is a great option because there is no inventory to manage on your part.

• Patreon

Patreon is a membership platform that allows creators to get paid by supporters (also called patrons). You create tiers with various benefits for your patrons. You can make a living without the large numbers needed for a youtube channel.

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The Final Analysis

Being able to do what you're good at and love, while earning an income, is the dream. But there is a bigger picture, and that is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we do this, God assures us of provision (Matthew 6:33). So you could  travel the world as a full-time travel blogger. But it could also mean serving as the secretary for a large company, even though you sing well. 

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Even if you can't  monetise your passion, recall that life is not about money. When we are in God's will, that is true success.

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References

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3 Reasons It’s So Hard to “Follow Your Passion”

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Percentage of Businesses That Fail

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