Quite the heady question. This is a simple question I’ve been wrestling with for the last couple of years. Granted, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. This is mainly due to not only what it is you love to do but also what your individual situation is. To make matters even harder, you may find what you love to do isn’t something you can do for a living or may end up being something you enjoy but not really love enough to do for a career. But we will leave this problem out of the equation for now.
Back to the question raised by this post, after reaching the age of forty, I have found myself looking forward and backwards on my life. While I have been fortunate to have been able to pursue some interests as a career, I haven’t actively pursued something I actually love to do as a career.
That is till now.
Everything In Its Right Place
My wife and I own a cleaning services business. Up to a month ago, she did most of the managing since I was busy working on my blogs and other side businesses. Before starting the business, my wife worked as a nurse which she found herself missing. She also found herself growing tired of dealing with various issues associated with running a business. So we decided she would go back to work as a nurse and I would take over managing the business- which, coincidentally, is what I have a degree in.
As odd as this may sound, having this new responsibility has actually taken a lot of weight off of my shoulders. With two incomes now, I don’t have that huge pressure of trying to bring money in with my blogs. If you blog with the intention of making any kind of money from it, then you know how difficult it is when your blog is building an audience.
With this new shift in my life, I found myself reassessing what it is I really want to do. While there is some time involved in managing our business, it doesn’t require all of my time. Leaving me with enough time to pursue what it is I truly want to do as a career which is be a comic creator.
I have also looked at all the projects I have going on and how they relate to what I want to do. Before this new transition, I found myself burning out due to trying to do too much in a given day. At times, it felt like I was chasing my own tail. I was putting in a full day of work only to see little to no return for it. So I took a hard look at those projects I was working on and decided I had to let some of them go. I hated to do this because it felt like I was admitting defeat or that I was giving up. But I had to remind myself this wasn’t the case. I was closing a door in order to open a new one to better opportunities.
Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself
In addition to dealing with the time constraints I had, I also had one other obstacle to overcome and that was fear. Particularly fear of failure in my new career path. In the past, whenever I contemplated pursuing this new career, I would let the pain of it (failure along with comparing my skills to those who were doing it as a living were the two biggest culprits) influence my decision. I was making the pain more real than the success I would have if I did follow through and go for it.
I have to admit, overcoming this fear is hard. This is when you have to really dig deep and constantly reminding yourself both visually and mentally that you will be successful if you keep taking the necessary steps towards your goal(s) on a consistent basis.
One trick I have used is to find some early artwork by artist whom I really admire and have the career I want to have. This alone has helped tremendously! Another trick I have used is to look at pictures or read interviews with those same artists. Doing this inspires me to keep going despite the frustration I have at times.
Committment
One of the most important keys when pursuing anything is being committed to it. My new career path is no different. Being able to illustrate on a professional level takes time and practice. So I made a promise to myself to draw, at least, three hours a day, six days a week.
I’m in the process of scheduling my weeks so that my afternoons are free to dedicate to this new career. By committing myself to this, I know I will be building the foundation to begin illustrating my own work in the very near future.
Life Is Too Short
I don’t know if this is because of my entrepreneurial spirit but I can’t imagine going through life, working at a job which I loathed. I remember my mom feeling that way regarding her job and it showed. So why do it? I realize some of you have to work where you do because of your situation (kids, location, etc.) but why not take the steps to do what you love as a career when you are not working? It could be as easy as taking some courses or classes, or working on a skill you have, or saving the money you will need to start your business.
The first step is deciding you want to do this. If you have trouble doing this, then I suggest taking a couple of minutes alone in a room. With no distractions, close your eyes and imagine a future where you are still working at the job you have now. Are you happy or are you mad at yourself for not making that one decision which could forever change your life? Now, imagine a future where you did make that decision to pursue your dream(s). Are you happy and living the life you always wanted?
So are you doing what you love to do? What is it you would love to do for a living? What is holding you back? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks!
Photo courtesy of JulyYu
