We are always told that in order to come to enjoy your work and your daily job, you should just go with your gut and make your passion your work, but that doesn’t always work. As Chris Guillebeau aptly points out, that severely limits your potential for success by only allowing one single path.
According to the Fair Work Commission, Australians are not as satisfied with their jobs as they could be. So then, what should an Aussie do to enjoy their work? It’s a better idea to go about it searching for a career that touches upon three crucial aspects: flow, finances, and joy.
The issue with following your passion
Following your passion sounds incredible and exciting and it’s certainly a romantic notion that teenagers are enamoured by, but in practice, limiting yourself to just one possible choice can come back to haunt you in the worst ways.
Sure you’ve always wanted to be an actor, but what happens when you realize you don’t actually have talent for it? Or you don’t enjoy your work? What if your dream job of becoming a scientist is much drier and more difficult than you imagined? Consider multiple options and paths.
Take multiple options into consideration
Guillebeau thinks that the most successful careers and the happiest people have one thing in common: they satisfy all of those three key concepts that were mentioned earlier: flow, finances, and joy. Whatever you choose to do with your life, make sure that you’ve got all three of these things covered.
Finances don’t need to be explained; you should be able to support yourself from this job. Joy is the “passion” part of the job, the one that keeps you going. Joy is what allows you to enjoy your work. As for flow, this is your talent and skill, the things you’re really good at.
As Guillebeau explains, flow doesn’t always have to be present, just like joy is not always there. There will be times when not all three elements will be there at the same time, or even at all.
But they should make an appearance, more often than not, in order for you to be fulfilled and enjoy your work. The gut feeling that was mentioned a while ago still comes into play, as you’ll be able to feel what your ideal job is.
A happy medium
Wanting to find a career exclusively on passion is a naïve idea, truth be told. In order to find fulfilment, you should have the passion, the opportunity to use your skills, and the appropriate financial rewards. This magic career doesn’t come easily to everyone, so consider yourself lucky if you have it. Remember that even if you don’t have it yet, you have a much better chance of finding something that allows you to enjoy your work if you look for these three crucial elements, no matter what career you choose.
