How to Turn Your Passion into a Purpose-Driven Career

Collaborative Post

Most people dream about finding work they actually care about, but it’s not always clear how to get there, and that can be totally frustrating. For example, you might already have something you love doing, but the idea of turning that into a job can feel like a big leap, even if it’s what you feel is the right move to make. The good news is, it’s doable - it just takes some time, a bit of planning, and a lot of persistence. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more.

woman-with-red-top-and-black-shorts-on-purple-yoga-mat

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

What Matters To You

Before jumping in, it helps to be honest with yourself about what you actually enjoy because the truth is that not everything you like needs to become your career, and actually some things are better left as hobbies. But if there’s something you keep coming back to and that gives you a real sense of satisfaction or purpose, that’s usually worth exploring.

Ask yourself simple questions to help you decide what to do. For example, what do I look forward to doing? What kind of work makes me feel proud? What do people usually ask me for help with? The answers might surprise you, but they’ll start to point you in the right direction.

Learn What It Takes To Get There

Once you’ve got an idea, it’s time to see what the path actually looks like. Every career has steps you’ll need to take, whether that’s qualifications, training, or just some hands-on experience, so you’ll need to see what’s the next thing you need to do.

For example, if you’re passionate about health, fitness, and helping people feel better in their own skin, you might want to look into how to become a Pilates instructor. That means finding a course, learning about anatomy and movement, and figuring out what kind of teaching style feels right for you, and when you do that, you’ll take what you already love and make it a lot more structured.

Start Small And Build Up

You don’t have to quit your job or make huge changes straight away, and it’s actually usually best to just start small and try things out. You could volunteer, help a friend, or look for part-time opportunities that give you a bit of experience, for example, but whatever you do, the idea is to build confidence while you’re learning what works (and what doesn’t).

Getting advice from people who already do what you want to do can help too. Ask how they started and you’ll find most people are happy to share what they’ve learned, and it can save you from making the same mistakes.

Keep Going Even If It’s Slow

It’s easy to lose motivation when things don’t move as fast as you’d like, but building something that’s going to be successful and work for you takes time. You’ll probably have moments where you doubt yourself or wonder if it’s worth it and that’s normal. What matters is that you keep going.

A few steps forward every week is still progress, and it’s good to remember that every small win counts, and it could be a new skill learned, a new client, or even just feeling more confident than you did a month ago, for example.

Final Thoughts

Turning a passion into a career isn’t always the right move to make, but it can be completely worthwhile, and it’s always worth exploring, just in case. And when you finally reach the point where what you do each day is what you care about most, it’s worth every bit of effort it took to get there.

—End of Collaborative Post—

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