Ask me five years ago what I wanted to become and I’d look at you, take a deep breath, smile, fold my hands and reply, “A MEDICAL DOCTOR!” But not anymore. So, what changed along the line? Did the dreams just fade away? Briefly, I’d share what happened.
Over time, the place of Passion and Profession has been misconstrued. Some people have offered logical reasons why your passion should not necessary be your profession. While I am not going to be countering their opinion, I am going to be approaching it from the other side of the coin.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and look at what you would do if it were assured to succeed? That’s not the litmus test of identifying your passion; there are series of test. Now, take a deep breath, do not close your eyes this time, but think deeply and imagine that one thing you’d do regardless of whether you enjoyed it or not. Think of that thing you’d go through even if it means suffering in series for. That is your passion.
The word passion finds its root in a Latin word ‘pati,’ which means ‘to suffer.’ This then is the reason why you should be passionate about your profession. When the economy is down and there is little or no money coming in from what you do (just like the situation we’re currently in), what keeps you believing in your chosen professional? PASSION.
When you have a nagging boss, who’d never see any good in what you do, yet goes ahead to give you oodles of task, what keeps you moving? PASSION. When you’ve missed the promotion windows more than the times Peter betrayed Jesus, what keeps you moving? PASSION.
Hence, there is no gainsaying that when the test of not getting admitted to study my dream course came, it didn’t take a while before I discovered that I wasn’t passionate about it. It was palpable because at the early stages, I just wasn’t willing to suffer for it. I faced the same challenges in the next line of career I opted for, but I stayed put, suffering in sips.
The following questions were what I asked myself in the confines of my room, one beautiful evening, when the sun had stopped smiling. They were clinical in showing me who I really am, for if you don’t know who you are, you never really would find your passion.
1.) If you had one year left to live, how would you spend it?What does that tell you about what you enjoy and what you have a passion for?
2.) If you had enough money to do whatever you wanted, what job or career would you pursue?
3.) If you knew you were going to be highly successful in your career, what job would you pursue today?
4.) What would you like to tell your children and grandchildren about what you accomplished in your career? How will you explain to them what career you chose?
5.) If you were a third party giving advice to yourself, what would you suggest regarding a career choice?
I wish you the very best in finding you. Stay safe. Stay sane. Stay you!
What do you think?