Have you ever thought about how amazing your life would be if you live your passion every day? It seems like just last week when you were that kid who was going to be an astronaut, pilot, or inventor. It probably seems like yesterday when you finished school, got your first job, and charted out your career advancement. Then something unexpected happened… you grew up. What does it mean to grow up anyways? And why does “growing up” seem to imply you must forgo your dreams and passions? While society wants you to believe living your passion is irresponsible and foolish, we are going to focus on 14 amazing things that happens when you live your passion.
1. Increased self-confidence
There is a little-known truth that everyone wants to be accepted for who they are. Yet, everyone is not comfortable expressing who they are. When you ignore the opinions of others and live your passion, you will become more comfortable expressing yourself. Oftentimes, when you are not living your passion, you are living the life that you believe is acceptable to others. Your confidence will suffer when you give into the pressures of society, your friends, and family. This is largely because you are forcing yourself to do something that is of little interest to you. There is probably a good reason for this, so when you are not working within your strengths and interests, your performance will be sub-par.
2. Lower stress levels
Job stress is the major source of stress for adults and it is associated with “increased rates of heart attack, hypertension and other disorders.”((The American Institute of Stress:
Workplace Stress )) Let me start out by debunking the misconception that all stress is bad. Those who follow their passions and those who do not will both encounter stress. The difference is in the kind of stress you come across. Those who live their passion have an internal motivation that helps bring balance to their situation. As a result, they will most likely have stressful situations that come and go. A good example would be you have three important projects that need to be completed in the same day. Subsequently, you feel stressed until the day is over. Those who are not living their passion are usually not enjoying their work and find it stressful every day. The act of waking up, putting their clothes on, and driving into work stresses them. They dread every Monday and yearn for every Friday.
3. Fulfillment in your work
As we started to touch on, there is nothing more draining than “working to live.” You feel stuck because you have bills to pay and your job pays the bills. Even though there is a bit of uncertainty surrounding your passion, you cannot underestimate the value of loving what you do. By pursuing your passion, you will feel fulfilled in your work. You will no longer feel the need to listen to podcasts and audio-books while working (trying to fill that unfulfilled void). You will have the joy of living your passion, instead of planning to live your passion. There is nothing more rewarding than doing what you were called to do.
4. Mastery of work-life balance
There is a saying that if you live your passion, you
no longer need a work-life balance. The premise is work-life balance is only needed when your work is draining. When you are following your passion, your life is in constant balance. Your work does not feel like a job because you would do it for free. Can you imagine, wishing you could be working because you truly enjoy what you do? Well, that is exactly what will happen when you are pursuing your passion.
5. Fewer regrets later in life
In the end, most people will not regret the things they did, but things they did not do. Imagine what your life would be like if you pursued all your dreams and passions. Now imagine if you ran into that person and had to explain to him why you did not pursue your passion. This is the real-life conversation most people are having when it is all but too late. Take a risk and bet on yourself. Even if it does not work out exactly as you would have hoped, you will be better for it.
6. Personal growth
The reason most people do not live their passion is because of the uncertainty surrounding their passion. You may have doubts regarding your ability to succeed financially, professionally, or even emotionally. Sometimes, you are right to think this way. This does not mean you should accept this reality and do nothing about it. Instead, spend some time developing the skill-set needed to accomplish your passion. You can become a rocket scientist if you still want to be an astronaut. You can practice and pursue your pilots license if you want still want to be a pilot. Map out what skills you need to develop to live your passion and then take the steps to do so.
7. Positive attraction
Sometimes you fear that your passion is not going to be received well by others. The thing about living a less than authentic life, you are going to attract the wrong people. When you live your life and follow your passions, you are going to attract like-minded people. To be honest, you are probably going to rub some people the wrong way when you are pursuing your passion. People do not like change and when you change, it could change your relationships. Do not let this be something that will hold you back though. Your growth is tied to your willingness to pursue the beliefs that will enable you to achieve your goal.
8. Expand your comfort zone
Do not fall into the trap of believing that you have to give everything up to follow your passion. These types of limiting beliefs keep most people from ever starting their journey to change their life. In fact, you don't need to give up everything to start afresh.
Here's why. Allow yourself to slowly expand your comfort zone and try new things. You can continue to live your existing life, while pursuing new adventures on the side. As you grow more comfortable in your ability to live your passion, you can slowly shift more time towards it. Before you know it, you will be all-in and living your life to the fullest.
9. Be grateful
It is true that you can and should be grateful all the time. There is always something to be grateful for in your life. Even if you got a flat tire on you way home from work, at least you have a vehicle. Similarly, you should always be grateful to have a job. Yet, there is little doubt that you will feel more grateful if you are doing something you are passionate about every day. You could realistically find yourself excited to wake up every morning because you know it is another day to fulfill your life’s purpose.
10. Reconnect with your inner-self
There was a time when you felt free. You felt like you could do anything and everything was possible. When you start living your passion, you are most likely reconnecting with things you loved as a child. By taking a moment and realizing the things you loved before society told you what to love, you are finding a lost piece of yourself. Revisit your childhood joys and take note of what you loved doing. Like me, you may find that you love putting puzzles together. This could speak on your analytical nature and help you understand why you are so passionate about putting things together and solving problems. Whatever it may be, take a moment and rediscover the “real you” that was forced to “grow up”.
11. Kinder person
Your passion is most likely going to benefit a lot of people. There is something wrong with the world that you believe you can help improve. If more people would live their passion, there is little doubt the world would be a better place. There is a peace and joy that you will find when you are living your passion, and that will rub off on your interactions with others. You may have heard the saying, "hurt people, hurt people". This means that the person who is bad at your job is most likely dealing with something in their own life. When you pursue your passion, you are satisfied and at peace with the world, and you will be kinder to others.
12. Unleash your creativity
The thing about living a life absent of your passion is that you are most likely living the commonly walked path. Security in life is often the absence of creativity. When you leave the path of least resistance and start to live your passion, you must unleash your creativity to succeed. You are going to be venturing into uncharted waters in your life and it can be intimidating. But that is where the magic happens. When you find yourself face to face with an obstacle logged between you and your passion, you need to trust in yourself that you will prevail.
13. Change the narrative
You have an inner voice that is telling you who you are, what you can do, and what you deserve. Sometimes you have split feelings about pursuing your passion.
On the one hand, you are grateful for the life you have and content with everything it entails. Or you have a burning desire to pursue your passion and take a risk. By understanding the limiting narrative you are telling yourself (
I am not good enough, I should be happy with the job I have now, etc.), you will be better equipped to change your narrative.
Your new narrative will be grounded in an understanding that you can pursue your passion without that meaning you are ungrateful or unappreciative of the life you have now.
14. Conquer your fears
Fear leads to procrastination and procrastination leads to the death of your desire to pursue your passion. Avoid the temptation to rationalize keeping things the way they are until you have more experience, more time, and more influence.
There will always be something that could be better. If you give into your fears, they will only continue to grow. By living your passion, you will have put your fears in their place. Remember, it is okay to be afraid, it is not okay to allow that fear to stall your efforts.
Final thoughts
One of the most fascinating things about living your passion is the freedom and ease of burden. Do not think another moment what your life would be like if you lived your passion. Instead, you need to go out there and start living it. No matter how small the change, you will start to see the benefits discussed. Once you start seeing the benefits, there will be nothing holding you back.
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