Why you should start a passion project today

I was recently invited to speak to students at my old university about careers in digital when it dawned on me, a few minutes before the start, that I no longer had a traditional job title. Not only that, but I had now turned what started out as four passion projects into a career around the things I love (and once loathed). As I sat there and reflected on where that journey had started, I realised how important those small steps of intention can create a butterfly effect that can literally change the entire course of your career and your life. I’d always heard that famous quote, “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” I mean I literally fantasized about that. It wasn’t long before the discomfort of being unfulfilled grew too strong to not do anything about and so my first passion project was born and as they say the rest is history! Here’s why you should start one today…

1) It fosters creativity

There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than the very start of a passion project, a big white sheet of possibility staring at you right in the face. An endless scope of where you can take your mind. The interesting thing about creativity is once you get those creative juices flowing, it just breeds more creativity. Which did I mention then trickles into your day-to-day job? When I left my corporate job I was overwhelmed and actually shocked by how suppressed my creativity had been because all of a sudden there were no boundaries.

2) It brings out your inner child

Let me ask you something, when was the last time you did something you loved? When was the last time you were curious and followed that curiosity down the rabbit hole? When was the last time you explored a new idea? I know from experience that ‘life happens’ and before you know it it’s routine: sleep, eat, work, and repeat. The unfortunate thing with adult life is we forget what we were like as kids, yet that innate need to explore, create, learn is still there waiting for you to activate it.

3) It engages flow

I never feel restless, no matter how many hours in the day I’ve spent on my passion projects, purely because I’m literally in a state of flow as time slips away. Flow was coined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi who created the concept and described it as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost." What’s not to love?

4) It attracts your tribe

Whether it’s a Facebook group you join that is also working on a similar passion project or your passion project itself that unites people, there is nothing quite like meeting like-minded people. I often get asked what I get out of running #LinkedInLocal (yes, shameless plug). People get surprised when I tell them that it’s entirely pro-bono. My original idea for getting involved was building a community of people that can empower, support and inspire each other. They don’t say you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with for no reason! 

5) It is the epitome of the pursuit of happiness

Doing the things you love makes you happy! Surprising right? When it gets to Sunday when everyone is moaning, I have a smile plastered on my face and exclaiming to everyone “I can’t wait for the new week!” Ok slight exaggeration because that would be mean, but doing the things you love is a real pleasure and a privilege (never forget that btw). I remember when I started volunteering I started looking forward to my new weeks because I knew that I was going to do something valuable and worthwhile with my time that wasn’t just my 9-5.

6) It creates balance

Which brings me onto my next point. When you're happy you become a healthier and more stress free person as a natural consequence of delving into your deep pleasures. Your mood will change drastically and I say that from someone who pulled herself out of a deep depression by throwing myself at every volunteering opportunity that came my way. In thinking about other people and working to better someone else's life, I ended up bettering mine. That then impacts everything around you, your home life, your work life and your personal life.

7) It fulfills you

There is absolutely nothing in the world that compares to seeing your project, product or service come to life. I mean, this isn’t like handing in a great piece of work or delivering a presentation in your job. You’ve put your blood, sweat, tears and everything into seeing this through. It’s been your hard work and effort that has gotten you to where you are and you actually get to see the fruit of your labour in real. The validation doesn’t just come from outside, more importantly it comes from within and god it’s powerful! 

8) It upskills you

You’ll find yourself doing things you never imagined you’d do or figuring out things on your own as you go along. I was recently doing a video for my new 'developing beyond' channel when I realized I hadn’t done a lot of learning in a while because I was so focused on adding value to my network, the irony given I encourage personal development. But then I noticed after a few hours of toying around with IMovie that I had actually spent my evening learning how to use an entirely new programme through trial and error.

9) It is life changing

When I started running workshops outside of work on ‘Leveraging LinkedIn’ and employability skills with The Brokerage students I was essentially using those experiences as a testing ground. All within the comfort of still being in my cushy corporate job, but never in a million years did I imagine that I’d managed to eventually find a way to turn all these things into what I now call my portfolio career. Now more than ever have I realized how important variety in my life is, no day is or has ever been the same and that’s the way I like it!

10) It can change the world

The more your passion project is aligned to a greater cause than just you, the more purposeful and fulfilled you’ll be. You have the capacity to impact the people closest to you through what you do. Whether that’s directly through your passion project or inspiring others to do the same, the ripple effect of others either benefitting from your passion project or watching you do something courageous and against all norm, will empower others to do the same. Imagine if they start doing something and their friends start doing something off the back of that. How far can that go…? 

I know it can be daunting, where do I even start I hear you ask. If the prospect of starting a passion project after reading this is making you hyperventilate fret not, it’s all in the baby steps. Find someone that is doing what you’d like to be doing, reach out to them and have a chat, as simple as that. If setting something up yourself is too much or you’re not sure how much time and effort you want to invest, why don’t you volunteer for one day or a few hours in an organisation or charity that aligns with your passion area? As with anything the first step is the hardest. Oh and by the way be prepared for the naysayers, some people won’t get it, others will think “what on earth are you doing?” but trust your gut and believe in yourself, this world needs more passion and creativity…

"Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up."-Pablo Picasso

This post was written as part of the #PassionProjects series, which is tied to LinkedIn’s student editorial calendar on #StudentVoices. Follow the stories here or write your own. Thanks for reading! I’ll be continuing to write on different topics every week so please feel free to click follow, comment and share.

In case we haven't virtually met yet... Hi! I'm #AuthenticAlex ex-corporate trainer in the Financial Services turned personal branding and strategy consultant, career strategist and public speaker on a mission to inspire, motivate and empower professionals. Find out more here...