Today I want to talk about something that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Does your job and your passion have the be the same? I've had conversations about it with Adam and my girlfriends. I've listened to podcasts that discuss it. And I think I've come to my conclusion.
It depends! The answer is different for everyone.
If you've been following my journey for awhile, you know that I've spent the last few years working as a personal trainer via my company Glisten Fit. I've poured my heart and soul into my work. And do you want the truth? I LOVED it at first. But after awhile, I got burnt out and felt exhausted all the time.
Fitness has been a passion of mine for awhile. One of my favorite things to do is get in a good workout. It's my me time...it makes me feel alive. It clears my mind. The last thing I want to happen is to lose that love for working out.
Making health + fitness my career was something that I wanted to do. And something that I don't regret doing. But turning my passion into my career put a lot of pressure on me. I started to lose my fire for it. It became a chore. I ate, slept, and breathed Glisten Fit. And for some people, that's fine. But I know myself - I can be a workaholic. I zero in on one thing and let everything else fall to the wayside. It got to the point where I was feeling unfulfilled and heavy from the pressure to make Glisten the best I could 24/7. I think the pressure came from knowing that I had to make X amount of dollars per month from Glisten in order to pay the bills.
So my answer? No. Your job and your passion do not have the be the same thing. Can they be? Absolutely. It just depends on the person and the passion I think.
I'm beyond excited to be pursing a career in speech-language pathology. I think that I'm going to be able to go to work each day excited and leave each day feeling like I made a difference. And then come home and be able to breathe and not be overtaken by work. I'll be able to hit the gym and get in a good lift for ME, because that's what I enjoy doing, not because I have to film X amount of videos to try to get X amount of new clients.
I figured out that I'm the type of person who needs a good home/work balance. At first I was scared to admit this. I was afraid that it was me failing. But now I know that is not the case. I am not a failure. I had a dream and I pursued it. While on that path, something else (SLP) was put on my heart and I'm proud that I'm brave enough to go for it.
It's okay if you go to work at a job that you enjoy and then come home and pursue your passion just because you love it. I feel like so many people believe that they haven't "made it" unless their job and their passion align. Well rest assured my friends - that is not the case. Do whatever makes you happy - whatever makes your soul come alive. If that means your job and your passion are the same thing, then great. But if they are different? Then that's fine, too!
xo, Jess
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