Passion At Work: Yay or Nay?

Passion.

I often get different reactions when someone asks me what I studied, expecting me to say something like marketing or business development, only for me to tell them Quantity Surveying. Some people nod with intrigue and an expression of "that's cool" while others are taken aback and immediately ask me why I didn't pursue what I did in college.

My answer is usually simple, "I'm not passionate about it."

Usually, it's the baby boomers who seem to have a problem with my answer. To them what is mere passion in the face of logic and realism? Who cares about passion when you have bills to pay and a reputation to uphold?

Well, I do. And if you wish to gain money, satisfaction, and happiness in what you do, you should too.

I know I sound like a typical millennial who has her head in the clouds and doesn't know how the "real world" works. Nothing I haven't heard before. In fact, if I had a K for every time I heard that, I wouldn't be here on LinkedIn typing away to build my brand, I'd be in Zanzibar lounging in a bikini while reading Harry Potter at the beach.

But, you didn't come here to hear about my life story or my sexy body in a bikini, you came to find out if you can make more money by doing what you love.

Can You Tell The Difference?

I can spot someone who is in a job they don't like but have somehow convinced themselves that they need with just a glance. It's usually in their posture (usually a bit slouched), their gaze (a bit lost or hypervigilant), and their energy (dead).

I'm not saying that every person fitting this description, in official clothes, walking down Moi Avenue is in a job they hate. I know the world isn't black and white (not so bad for a millennial huh?). But, the majority of them are. Maybe you are too, and that's okay.

The Money Chases You

I've heard that money is a girl. And before you dismiss this as some new-age gibberish, here me out: she doesn't like people who talk ill of her, she runs away from those who chase her, and those who treat her with little care. See the resemblance? 

Chasing money is like being on a treadmill hoping that if you run more you'll somehow cover the actual physical distance. Sure, the treadmill meter might read that you've run 2KM but have you really covered that distance? How about if you'd actually ran that 2KM on the ground? Drank in that fresh air, taken in those sights, had something to brag about to your colleagues? 

The best thing about doing something that you love is that the money will come. You don't have to chase it or worry. All you need to do is keep getting better at your craft and watch just how magically things start working in your favor.

You'll want to improve your skills and get better not because you want more money or because you want to want to outshine your colleagues, but because you want to give and be your best. This in turn makes you a hot commodity in your niche and guess what? Hot commodities are paid the big bucks?

So, is it important to be passionate about what you do? Hell yeah!