The Unvarnished Truth About Following My Passions

37 months, 1 day, 8 hours, 54 minutes, 46 seconds.

You must be wondering what that is all about. That's actually the total amount of time that has elapsed since I've made the personal discovery about my calling when it comes to STEAM & being a content creator. But my real journey of following my passions began even earlier than that. It started in September of 2014. Back then, I had absolutely no idea what my future was going to be like. All I had in my mind is a desire to find a sense of meaning for my life. In this article, I want to take a moment of pause (after 7 years) and to take stock of all the lessons and experiences that I've gained over the past several years, plus also share some of the lessons I have picked up along the way.

Put it simply, I'm going to be as honest as I can possibly be about my whole entire journey. Coming into this article, my aim is not to discourage you or to push you towards that decision to follow your passions (though I think you should). But truly, I think this decision to follow our passions is a profoundly personal one, and we are the only people who can decide if it's something we want to do. Why? Because there is going to be a price, a cost, and there will be times when you will be tempted to make certain compromises that you shouldn't make. You will doubt yourself, A LOT!!! You are going to constantly question yourself. You are going to want to give up and quit. Speaking as someone whose been incredibly blessed with 'GRIT' as part of my character, even I wanted to walk away so many times.

So no, I don't think this decision to follow your passions should be taken lightly at all. In fact, I've learned to really respect the challenges, mistakes, and lessons that I've gained through the years.

It is NOT LOGICAL

Let's start here. Following your passions is certainly not a logical decision. Well, if you start to weigh the costs and personal sacrifices along the way, versus the genuine odds that you might succeed (or by when), it's not going to be convincing. Trust me. But I do think there are ways we can minimize the sacrifices and mitigate potential challenges. My single biggest mistake (well, not single, just one of many) was when I chose to take that plunge without actually thinking about the potential consequences of my decision. Do I regret my decision to follow my passions then? NO. But I do regret how I have handled that decision and action.

So if you ask me logically, I will tell you that I have struggled more than I've experienced the number of breakthroughs.

Forget about what you might have read in a book or watch in a motivational movie (based upon real-life stories). In reality, it is quite dangerous (potentially painful emotionally & psychologically) to follow your passions without having a backup plan. My advice is that before you make that decision to take the plunge, ask yourself, do you have a stable financial base to get started.

Looking back today on the last SEVEN years, I honestly didn't expect it would've taken me 7 years. Even right now, I'm still a work-in-progress and haven't quite "arrived" yet. So if you ask me logically, I will tell you that I have struggled more than I've experienced the number of breakthroughs. That's me being logical about it.

You Are NOT Going to Just Succeed

No, I'm not trying to burst your bubble. But it is the truth. Before you start launching out full steam towards your passions and dreams, I want to just get you to sit down and internalize this. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO JUST SUCCEED. Don't get me wrong. Read and internalize it again.

My main point here is, you will have some successes along the way, some smaller than others. And yes, at some point, you could succeed if you are persistent enough. But know that it won't be easy. It's not going to happen instantly. When I look back on my entire journey today, I think my real breakthrough only happened...what...4...5 years after I made the decision to follow my passions. It took me almost 5 years before I reached my main goal/mission of discovering what my calling and purpose in life is.

if you want to pursue your passions in life, you must be prepared to spend many years grinding, chasing deadends, hitting brick walls after brick walls before you eventually figure out what you need to do to succeed

Well, looking back today, if I had known all the lessons I had learned along the way, maybe I could've shortened the time to reach my goals. MAYBE. But the reality is still the same, if you want to pursue your passions in life, you must be prepared to spend many years grinding, chasing deadends, hitting brick walls after brick walls before you eventually figure out what you need to do to succeed.

Be "LONG-HAUL" Minded

My advice today to anyone thinking about pursuing their passions is to be "long-haul" minded. When I say "long-haul" minded, I literally mean it. You need to be mentally prepared that this decision you're about to make is going to take a really long time to materialize. In reality, maybe you will take a different amount of time in comparison to others. Everybody's journey is going to be different. But you need to come in knowing that potentially, it will take a while before you start to see some kind of fruits of your labor.

When I first started this journey, mentally, I was somewhat prepared for the long-haul. I knew at the onset that I didn't know how long it was going to take to discover my purpose and calling in life. I had hoped that it would not take longer than 5 years. Shorter would've been fantastic too.

I was both psychologically, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially exhausted.

I do have to express my gratitude that at around the 5th year mark (end of it), I was about to quit and throw in the towel. That was also the moment when I finally discovered my calling in STEAM and content creation. Honest truth, I would've given up if I didn't. I was both psychologically, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially exhausted. Not something I wish upon anybody.

Sometimes, SLOW-AND-STEADY is Actually Better

Okay, this might sound a little strange to some people. In some cases, depending on what you are trying to achieve, having some sense of urgency might provide an edge. But overall, and speaking generally, I've learned (and observed from those around me) that the best way to sustain your passion and flame, is to take the slow-and-steady approach.

The first big mistake that first-time pursuers of their passions make, is that they go all out, full throttle, only to end up burning out after the first year, or the first few years.

The first big mistake that first-time pursuers of their passions make, is that they go all out, full throttle, only to end up burning out after the first year, or the first few years. They were hoping, maybe expecting that they would see some kind of result by the end of the first few years. But in SO MANY CASES, SO MANY, they end up leaving their pursuits when they don't see anything significant. It is truly such a shame to see them quit. Sometimes it also made me question myself. Why am I still doing it when so many of those around me have given up?

Looking back today, I really wish I knew this lesson. I've had my moments of burnout too. I suppose the only difference is I didn't quit. I didn't walk away when I could've.

Learn to Pace Yourself

One of the key lessons I hope to share from my journey is to "pace yourself". The single most powerful thing I had to learn eventually, was to slow down. Yeap. It's so weird admitting that right now. I am so glad that I have slowed down my pursuit. Don't be mistaken. By slowing down my pace, it doesn't mean I am less passionate. In fact, by slowing down, I was also able to build a MOMENTUM when it comes to building up that flame of passion! I am more passionate about my goals, visions, mission, and calling today than I was just 2 years ago in 2018!

STABLE INCOME

One of the best ways to pace yourself is to maintain a source of income. It could be your current day job. Whatever you are doing now, don't just quit it and go after your passions. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER. Instead, spend the first couple of years working on your passions as a side hustle. Do it on a freelance basis if you must. But until you can make THREE TIMES of your regular income through your side hustle, you shouldn't leave it [your full time income].

Another benefit of having a regular income while you pursue your passions/dreams, is that it doesn't make you seem desperate. Oh trust me, I am speaking from experience here. LOLOLOL. When you are trying to promote your services or products, if you start to seem desperate about it, some clients/customers can just sniff it out that you are desperate and it will be the perfect opportunity for them to take advantage of your desperado situation and seriously undermine and undercut your services and pricing.

when you are not desperate, it's much easier to be firm with the way you charge for your services and you aren't desperate to jump to the next gig because you feel the need to cover the operational costs of your business/side hustle

On the contrary, when you are not desperate, it's much easier to be firm with the way you charge for your services and you aren't desperate to jump to the next gig because you feel the need to cover the operational costs of your business/side hustle. In fact, it is the very first time that I feel so confident about listing my professional services at the pricing that I've listed on my new website. I also know that I don't need every potential client to say yes to what I can offer, and the value that I could provide. I've learned that it is, after all, a numbers game, same time, all I need to do now, is to focus on quality leads. Not quantity.

TAKE A BREAK

Another really crucial and important tip is to take a break every now and then. I don't mean working 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and then take a holiday. Then repeat. NO. WRONG. Instead, take regular breaks, do it monthly, weekly even. Or bi-weekly. Life is not all about pursuing your passions or hustling. Be sure to set aside time for yourself and with your loved ones.

These days, with my "day" job, I am using my off days and free time in between shifts to work on my passion. But I also occasionally try to take a break like going out for meals with people I know. Yeah, even for a workaholic like me, I don't always work on my side hustle on my off days.

I've learned that work will always be there when you get back. So take that few hours, unwind, relax, day-dream, watch a movie, chill. Trust me, you will thank me later. I've learned that it is just as important to discipline ourselves to take a break as much as it is to be discipline to hustle when we should.

The worse mistake you and I can make is when we sacrifice personal and family time for our passions. It's just wrong. And I will not stand for that.

Authenticity & Integrity are the Currency of Trust

But when you are working and interacting with others, I strongly encourage you to be authentic and genuine about who you are. Faking it in front of others doesn't help at all.

When it comes to wanting to be successful when pursuing your passions and dreams, you need to be ready to be authentic and have the integrity necessary to walk the journey. Following something I had mentioned earlier in this article, there will be times along this journey where you will be tempted to compromise your beliefs, your faith, your values, principles, and even your own character. I have been through that part of my journey, and yes, I have at moments compromise somewhat (perhaps not in a big way, but I did) and I paid dearly for it later on. That notion of "fake it until you make it", is something I urge you not to practice to the extreme. It's okay to be positive-minded, to practice Law of Attraction (something I do on a daily basis). But when you are working and interacting with others, I strongly encourage you to be authentic and genuine about who you are. Faking it in front of others doesn't help at all.

Integrity on the other hand is something that I've come to appreciate more than gold or money. Integrity might not always guarantee a monetary form of return. But it does guarantee more opportunities to succeed and also it helps to earn you respect (regardless of whether others will agree with your views or way of doing something). It was only when I started to focus on my own integrity and character that others started to really respect who I am, not just what I can do or the value that I can bring.

Integrity [...] is something that I've come to appreciate more than gold or money.

After 7 years on this journey, I've learned that the real currency of trust is authenticity and integrity. If you have both, you will certainly increase your chances of succeeding. I just wish it hadn't taken me 5 years to learn this important lesson.

It was WORTH IT!

I shall end this article and self-reflection by saying that in spite of all the mistakes, hitting brick walls after brick walls, failures, pain, struggles, and personal sacrifices, this was a decision I would've made again and again. The only difference ofcourse is that I would've applied those lessons that I've gained. But I'm not here to stay in the past. I'm here to look forward. As I look forward to the future, I know that because of all these scars and lessons, I am on the right path. It's still a rather "narrow path" though. I cannot afford missteps if I don't want to unnecessarily prolong the journey.

After everything I have said to describe this journey to pursue my passions, it might seem totally illogical to say its worth it to follow your passions. The struggles and potential pain definitely outweigh the potential of succeeding. Well, logically ofcourse.

But in the long run, I think that when it comes to succeeding at reaching your goals, you only need to do it once. Once you succeed at reaching your goals, that rewarding feeling just seems to wipe everything else away. The scars will still be evident though. But it would've been SO WORTH IT.

SO WORTH IT INDEED.