Life is a journey and will always be a journey. I was chatting with a few colleagues during lunch and somehow we realised how fast time has passed. Time lost can never be rewind back. Do we want a life that is mundane and just work for money or do we want a life where we can find a purpose for?
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In the current world we live in, everything revolves around money. Without money, it is very hard to get married and start a family. It is also very hard to buy a house without money. Passion on the other hand does not focus on money. It is what we do because we want to, not because we have to. Can we still pursue our passion and at the same time still have the money to survive in this world?
Financial planning is important and my blog, SG Young Investment, is a blog about finance and money. However, if you've been a reader of my blog all these while, you would know that I do not subscribe to the chase after money lifestyle and materialism. This blog is about finding your purpose in life and freeing ourselves from the slavery of money through financial intelligence.
Let me share with you some ideas on finding your passion and keeping it alive in this new age that we live in.
1. Search Your HeartPassion lies deep in our hearts. It may have been there since our younger days. Search back your heart to the days when it was still innocent. What did you want to do when you grow up? What do you really like doing as a child? It can be you like to help people since young so now you may be a councillor. It can be you like challenges since young so now you may have your own business. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know it when you find it.
Another thing to look at is to search for the distinct talents which you might have. Some of us may be good at analysing. Some of us may be more creative than others. Some of us may relate better to people. No matter what, all of us will have talents in our own unique ways.
2. Discover Your Passion by Stepping into It
Many of us like to think through life and imagine how good it would be if we were to live in it. However, you would never know the true feeling of being in that life unless you take action and step into it. To discover your passion, take small steps to try out and expose yourself to what you like. You don't have to do it full time and quit your job. You can do it during your free time while still working.
I started this blog back in 2013 out of a passion to write on financial matters. I did not quit my job and in fact was still pursuing my degree on a part time basis while working full time. I was writing articles on my blog and at the same time writing thousands of words for the many essays I had to submit in University. Even after writing more than 30,000 words in University and more than 250 articles on my blog, I'm still at it now. This was how I discovered my passion by stepping into it.
Once you've discovered your passion and step into it, chances are you'll meet like minded people too. However, it still takes a conscious effort to build up friendships along the way. Our time is limited and we can only choose to spend quality time with that many people. Setting priorities and managing our time well is crucial at this stage to keep the passion alive.
For myself, ever since I started writing on financial issues, I've met many other financial bloggers, financial professionals and even people from various government ministries who are into financial education. Right now, every week I'm meeting new people and each time my passion for financial education is boosted. It is heartening to know that there are many other individuals out there who want to spread financial literacy to make our world a better place.
4. Integrate and Make the Passion Part of your Life
Doing what we like for the rest of our lives is a dream for many of us. Transitioning from pursuing your passion part time to full time is a conscious effort. Sacrifices have to be made. There are businessmen who found their passion in the F&B industry and started their own food business. You may have heard of the tough times these businessman went through but they kept going on. Passion keeps many of them going.
You can also find passion in the job you choose to work in. Not all of us have to start businesses. I've seen people who are so passionate in their job that it becomes part of their lives. Teachers can be passionate in teaching and find joy in seeing their students succeed in life. Nurses can be passionate in serving their patients and seeing them recover well. Chefs can be passionate in serving good food to the diners.
When we're passionate about what we do, we become so good at it that it can attract opportunities and people are willing to pay a higher price for our services. At this stage, money doesn't become a problem then. This is where we can say: "This is not just what I do but who I am."
Have you found your passion yet? If you have, you should be on track to a meaningful life. If not, continue searching and don't give up. I'll leave you with this quote to end of this post:
"If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you'll spend your life completely wasting your time. You'll be doing things you don't like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing thing you don't like doing, which is stupid."
― Alan W. Watts
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