8 Steps to Turn Your Passion Into a Profession

Tired of showing up for work with a bad mood everyday just because you don’t love your job? But you still have to show up because you have to put food on your table and keep a roof over your head. You need to survive!

You have a job, but you’re clearly not passionate about it that is causing a bad impact on your performance at work. If this is the case then you are not alone. According to research from Deloitte University, up to 87.7 % of American employees are not able to contribute their full potential because they don’t have passion for their job.

“Choose a profession you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

We all have at least one friend in our circle who bought a DSLR camera and started making thousands by becoming a professional photographer. This is the best example of turning passion into a career. There are many careers that can be adopted by people who are passionate about a particular profession or hobby. Another good example is of musicians, they can turn their passion into so many professions related to the field of music. They can teach music in school, deliver private lesson at home to people of different age groups and they can also become a rock star.

But the fact is, pursuing a passion is easier said than done. You have to step out of your comfort zone to try to become something by spending days and night without getting any profit out of it initially. You will probably fail at your first few attempts, so it takes a lot of enthusiasm and practice to accomplish the goal one day. If you are passionate about something then here are few steps to turn your passion into a life’s career.

Recognize your passion

If you go to a restaurant with strong opinion in your head that you are not hungry, then the menu will not appeal you at all. You won’t explore it with interest and you will barely find food you’ll enjoy eating. Same goes for your passion — if you are convinced that finding your passion is impossible or you feel like just do not have any, you’ll remain closed to the possibilities. You will block the little pushes, pulls, hints and signs that will guide you to your dream career.

Give it time

“I will do it one day when I have enough time…”

You have said this sentence to yourself in your head several times. We have a habit of putting off things and distancing ourselves from things what we really love to do, because they seem out of reach. But in reality, “someday” never seems to be a day in near future. You don’t even know if that someday will ever come or not. You will never be able to chase your passion if you don’t take out time from it from your busy life. If you are really passionate about something, you need to get started now.

Learn from your failures

Everyone fails in life at one point or another. You are going to suffer failures throughout your life. If you haven’t already experienced some massive failures, then you just wait and see. But the good thing is that failure always teaches you a lesson and those lessons are sometimes life changing. Before having to suffer through countless failures, one after another, you never realized the importance of failing. When we fail, we learn.

Stand every time you fall

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”

The only way you lose is to not get back up every time you fall. If you go down and stay there, that is the only track to a sure defeat. While you are still able to get back up, there is still hope, though slim it might seem.

Listen to yourself

Just before you take your first step towards pursuing your passion as a career, the people around you, even the ones who deeply care for you, will give you awful advice. It’s not that they have evil intentions, they just don’t see the big picture – they don’t know what you can grow by following your passions. They don’t understand that the ride is worth the risk.

Follow your dreams

Chase your passion.  Follow your dreams. Live life to the fullest.

You often hear this advice repeatedly from people around you. Do you know why? Well, it’s because it means something. They are valuable to the enhancement of your life and the progress of your personal growth. Creating this positive language around your goals can help make them a reality.

Become qualified

To take your passion seriously, you must first become a professional. Having a special skill may not be enough to consider you an expert, so acquire the training necessary to become marketable. “The more you learn, the more you will earn.”

Expand your passion

We all have that inner voice that tells us to play it safe and be sensible with our personal and professional decision, instructing us that we must do what is best for us instead of breaking out of our comfort zones and pursuing our dreams. If you let these voices win, your passion will remain out of your grip. Instead, understand that fear can lead us to accomplish amazing things. Uncover the years of training from, school and colleagues—and encourage yourself that your ship is sailing in the right direction.