We all have passion within us; are you using yours?  Perhaps you’re stuck in a job you can’t stand, or you didn’t follow the right career path.  Or something inside is just nagging at you, reminding you that you’re not living up to your true potential and you know it.  Do you know what your passion is?  How do you find it and bring it out?

I found a great quote recently by a famous dancer and choreographer named Martha Graham: “Great dancers aren’t great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion.”  You don’t have to be a dancer for this to apply to you.  You probably know people who are fortunate enough to have jobs that they love.  They’re successful, they get to use their favorite talents everyday, and they don’t view their jobs as “work,” no matter how much of their time must be invested.  These people are the “dancers” in the quote, and you can be a part of it.  You just need to find your passion, too.

Question Yourself

Start with what you already know about yourself.  What are you good at?  What are your favorite hobbies?  What did you always want to be or do when you were growing up?  What topics get you excited?  These are great places to begin your personal investigation.  Don’t write anything off just because you think it might not be a big moneymaker.

Research Your Passions

Once you have your talents, hobbies, etc., written down, you can begin research.  Run internet searches, read books on your topic, network and talk to other people.  Someone somewhere has figured out a way to connect this topic to a career path, and if they’re truly passionate about it and not only in it for the money, they’ll be willing to share their knowledge with you and perhaps serve as a mentor in some way.

Follow Your Passions

If you’re going to start your own business, you’ll read many times over that you must begin with a profitable idea; sell something that people will want to buy.  I’ve even written that in previous articles myself.  But make sure you read on and get all the information—your idea still has to be something you’re passionate about and enjoy doing in order to have the greatest chance of success.  If you’re not excited about your idea, how can you convince others to be excited and buy into it with you?  If you’re not excited, you’ll be less likely to put forth all the necessary effort and you won’t reach the level of success you might be expecting.

Perhaps Harold Whitman can put it into perspective for you: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive.  And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Stay Curious

Once you’ve determined what makes you happy, you can start turning it into a business idea, or even just keep it as a hobby for your free time.  You’ll be more inclined to keep learning about something when you’re passionate about it because you won’t view it as a chore.  You’ll be genuinely curious to discover more information about it, learn how to become better at it, and find more ways to perhaps make some income from it.

It’s Okay to Change Passions

Are you finding that your passions are different today than during your childhood?  That’s okay!  Follow what excites you NOW.  You don’t have to force yourself to live out a childhood dream that no longer ignites passion or feels relevant.  As we get older, everything about us changes, and sometimes the change is so subtle we don’t notice it until we’re really taking the time to look within.

Here’s a personal example.  I always knew I wanted to be a writer.  Always.  And I’ve followed through on that, even through school and to the present.  But I have also had a passion for music.  I took clarinet and keyboard lessons, then focused more on singing, then set it aside.  When I entered college, I started off with my writing major, then added a theatre major as well because I discovered in high school that I loved acting.

I had full intentions of following acting dreams after college.  Then I joined a band as a singer.  I realized I should have been pursuing the musical route all along, and that’s where I am now.  I’m still extremely passionate about writing and acting, but my passion for music wins out—and I can easily combine all three while keeping music at the forefront.

I also began working out in high school.  I hated it.  I didn’t want to spend 30 minutes or more a day doing cardio.  Fast forward to just a few years ago.  A friend introduced me to a cardio workout that I absolutely loved.  I stayed motivated, convinced others to try it with my enthusiasm, and today I’m on a journey to become an instructor for the live classes that can be taught in health clubs.

Is it going to interfere with my pursuit of a music career?  No way.  Is it going to be a source of income?  Absolutely.  Is it going to reach the point of providing full-time income?  Probably not.  Will that stop me from putting my full passion into it?  Not a chance.  Will such passion open up a better potential for me to be able to turn it into a successful full-time job?  Very possible.  I can ask myself the same questions about pursuing music and give the same answers.  That’s not stopping me from going full-force on either one.

And it shouldn’t stop you, either.  It’s okay to have multiple passions, it’s okay to have changing passions.  I only encourage you to make sure you’re following them!  Don’t start out pursuing money: “Follow your passions and the rest will come.”  If you do something because it’s what you love, and you put passion into your passion, you’ll open up more opportunities than you ever thought possible.

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?  If this is your motto, you’ll never get anything done.  But you’re not alone.  When you’re ready to overcome procrastination and see your goals come to fruition, there is help!

Reasons for Procrastinating

Start by asking yourself why you procrastinate.  It doesn’t matter if you’re procrastinating on daily tasks or general life goals.  Common reasons might be that you feel you’re too busy and just can never seem to get around to whatever it is you need to do, you’re too tired, or you’re a little too disorganized.  Maybe the path to your goal appears too long and difficult and you just don’t know where to start.  Or perhaps you’re putting off something you really don’t want to do, like visit the dentist or tackle that project your boss assigned you that you’re having trouble understanding.

Come On, What Are You Afraid Of?

If you dig a little deeper, your real motive for procrastinating might be fear.  It could be something as little as fear of the dentist (especially if you know you’ve been lacking in the flossing department) or something bigger such as fear of failure—are you a perfectionist?  If you are, I sympathize.  When you expect nothing less than perfection out of yourself, sometimes it can keep you from attempting new things if you don’t believe you’ll get it right on the first try.  Or maybe you’re suffering from a fear of change—you want to switch careers, maybe go after your true goals, but you’re comfortable and secure in your current routine, afraid to shake things up and risk struggling.

How to Overcome Procrastination

You, my friend, can make that career change and be successful.  You can finish that project at work and impress your boss.  You can even schedule that dentist appointment—it’ll be over before you know it.  It’s time to change your motto and get a move on.  Here are some steps to guide you.  Feel free to pick and choose; follow the ones that strike a chord with you, ignore the ones that don’t.

• Make a to-do list.  Yes, I need you to actually take a few minutes to sit down and write out your goals.  (You’re not too busy, either.  You’re dilly-dallying on the internet right now, and you’re already sitting down.)  What do you need to get done?  What do you WANT to get done?  These might turn into two separate lists for you, and that’s fine.  Do your best to prioritize—maybe keep it to a top 5.  It’s been proven that people who write down their goals are more likely to accomplish them than people who don’t.  And there’s something to be said for that wave of satisfaction that comes with crossing your goals off that list.
• Schedule it on your calendar.  You schedule your doctor appointments, mandatory work meetings, your kids’ sports games, etc., and you make sure to arrange your day or week around those engagements.  It can help, then, if you schedule the tasks you need to complete and goals you want to accomplish, too.  For example, if you need to complete a project for work, schedule an hour in your day during which you’ll work on the project.  Don’t let yourself get sidetracked or allow something else to take priority.  You’d make sure you’re at a meeting at 10am when your boss holds you accountable; now hold yourself accountable and be at your desk working on that project at 11am.
• Make it public.  Tell someone else you’re going to exceed your sales quota by 10% today, get that business plan together by the end of the week, or lose 10 pounds by the end of the month.  This is especially helpful if you have trouble holding yourself accountable—maybe you’ve learned that there aren’t always devastating consequences when a deadline is purely self-imposed.  Now by telling someone else what you’re going to do, you’ve got some showing off to do.  Not only do you risk extra disappointment if you don’t follow through, someone else has rights to make fun of you.
• Be like Bob Wiley.  If you’re unfamiliar, that’s Bill Murray’s character in the movie “What About Bob?”  Bob learns to overcome his fears and accomplish his goals by taking baby steps.  If you’re putting off a particular task or goal because it’s overwhelming, try breaking it down into smaller tasks.  This can make it seem less daunting, and you’ll feel more productive as you get each little step crossed off that list.  Don’t aim to have a record deal for your band by the end of the year, aim to complete those two unfinished songs by the end of the month.
• Take a look at how much time you waste by procrastinating.  You might need to change your overall mindset here.  For a personal example, when I first began my journey into fitness, I had a difficult time getting my workout started.  I loved it once I got going, but it took a lot of willpower to get myself off the couch.  I would wind up watching a tv show that I was only mildly interested in, get sucked into the next one, and then look at the clock and realize I just wasted an hour.  More importantly, I could have been exercising and already been done by now.  While that thought was a little depressing, I found it motivating overall.  The sooner you get going, the sooner you’ll be done.  This mindset can help especially on those projects you’re dreading.

At minimum, I hope you’ll make that to-do list.  It can really put things in perspective for you and potentially help you stay organized and motivated.  There are a lot of negative consequences that come with procrastination, and I believe the worst one is regret.  I also believe that opportunities only come to you when you’re actively working toward your goal.  You’re not going to get that promotion simply because you arrive at your cubicle on time every day, and you’re not going to sell the greatest invention of all time to millions of people across the world by sitting on the couch.  What are you waiting for?

If you’ve wanted to start your own business, perhaps you’ve been deterred by the idea of investing a lot of money.  We’re all familiar with the phrase “It takes money to make money.”  Don’t let that stop you from pursuing your goals because I’m modifying that phrase.  It doesn’t take a lot of money to make money, and in some cases, it takes none at all.

No Financial Investment?

You’re probably curious about the “none at all” part, so let’s start there.  Depending on the size of the business you intend to start and how many other people are involved in the process, you may be contributing something other than money.  Someone else might be providing the financial investment while you might be offering your skills or labor, maybe the business’s location or actual tools needed the run the business.  True, you probably had to pay somewhere along the line to learn your skills or purchase the location initially, but you’re not providing actual cash at the point of the start-up.

Minimal Financial Investment

If you are the financial investor, your business may not require a significant amount of money to get going.  While entering into an existing franchise may call for thousands of dollars upfront, you might only need a few hundred or less to start your own t-shirt business.  The time and effort you have to put into it will be one of the biggest determining factors for the size of your profit.  The same goes for becoming an independent consultant for companies like Partylite, Beachbody, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, etc.  They require a very minimal investment, usually under $100 to get you off and running.

Advertising and Marketing

With technology and social media on the rise today, you may not even have to invest much into advertising and marketing to grow your business to a respectable size.  Social media especially is a great way to use word-of-mouth advertising.  Many people will post furiously about a new product that they love and can end up convincing their friends to try it, and the word spreads from there—and you didn’t have to pay a dime.

Get Up and Go!

What’s more important than money?  Taking action.  You can have millions of dollars and the most well-thought-out business plan, but if you don’t get moving, you’ll never reach your money-making potential.  Someone with less money and maybe even less talent than you might snatch your idea and turn it into an empire just because they took action and you didn’t.  So the question is, are you going to let that happen?