Why
am I here? What is my purpose?
These age old questions must be asked by everyone at
some point in their lives, many of whom will never know the answer. Do you know
why you are here?
Before you answer that, let me ask you another
question: Do you know what your passion is? Your real passion? Maybe you’re not
as good as you’d like to be, but you have a natural talent and a love for what
you do. You’d love that to be your job, but maybe you’re not there yet – or
even fear you may never be. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to try to help you
make it your job.
After all, the difference is being willing to put
yourself out there.
Let that sink in. What is the worst thing that can
happen? People won’t like your idea? So what? Truth is, you will never have
everyone’s approval. The point is to find people that do like your idea. Those
are the people who matter. You will always be able to find those people if
you’re willing to look for them. Once you find them, they’ll find others. No
one else matters. You never needed their approval. Realizing this is the first
step to attaining your dreams. Again, it doesn’t matter who doesn’t care. It
matters who does.
With that thought established, who else but you is
holding you back? No one is holding you back.
So I ask again, what is your passion? That passion
is your job – your true job. That’s the reason you’re here. You can feel it in
your bones. You know who you are – who you really are. Why live your life being
anything else or doing anything but what you love when you could be working
towards going somewhere you want to be. Don’t get stuck in a dream-killing dead
end job doing something you hate. That is not the road to happiness. However
satisfied with what you’ve acquired, you will never be satisfied with what you
do unless you’re doing what you feel called to do. Expand your horizons. What
do you feel called to do? That’s what you’re supposed to be doing. Stop keeping
yourself from happiness and start doing what you were put here to do.
Develop
You Job
I’m a writer. I’ve been a writer for most of my
life. Words are my art. That does not mean I’ve always been a good writer. Back
in elementary, a friend and I wrote short stories – one to two pages long – and
sold them at school for a quarter, to a dollar. We actually made more money
than you’d think, and we weren’t anywhere near good at the time. But as we kept
writing, we kept getting better. Even after this enterprise, I continued to
write as much as I could. Most of what I wrote was only seen by a small group
of people. When I produced something good, I shared it with as many people as I
could. I gave copies away so they would spread – so word would spread. I wrote
stories, articles and poems. Every time I wrote, I got a little better. I was
developing my job.
As I developed my job, I was already putting myself
out there. I didn’t fear rejection. I found the people who liked what I did. I
can’t begin to express the difference that made. For starters, this does
wonders for your confidence. If you’re waiting until you get to a certain
point, stop. Stop waiting. Maybe you’ll never reach that point. If you’re like
me, the better you get, the higher you’ll raise the bar for yourself. You’ll
never be perfect. There will always be room for improvement. Put yourself out
there while you improve. If you don’t, you may never feel ready to put yourself
out there. So do it. People will still like what you do. You don’t need
everyone’s approval. Everyone has to start somewhere. Success isn’t measured by
where you start; it’s measured by where you go. To go anywhere, you have to first
put yourself out there. Besides, if you’re fighting for attention, then you
WILL push yourself to be better. Few things are as motivating as hearing other
people tell you how good they think you are. It makes you want to be even
better, and lets you know you CAN do it.
Are you an artist, but don’t think your art is good
enough to sell? Give what you make away for awhile. Get better while letting
people know what you can do.
Are you a musician, but don’t think you’re good
enough to play for crowds? Play for friends and family. Go uptown and just
play. People won’t be there for the purpose of watching you play, expecting
anything from you. Most will simply go about their day, perhaps enjoying some
background music. A few may even stay awhile, just to listen to you play.
People who liked you music, found themselves called by it. You may even talk to
some interesting people.
Maybe you’re an aspiring writer. A good place to
start might be to get a blog going. Pick a topic you can write endlessly about.
Keep writing and keep updating your blog on a regular basis. The more content
your blog collects, the more traffic it’ll receive. It’ll start slow and gain
momentum. So, too, will your writing.
Develop your job while developing your audience.
Market
Your Job
This is the part where you take your job – your life
job – and make it your paying job. If you have already been putting yourself
out there as you developed your job, you’re already halfway there. People
already know what you do, and you already know some of the people who like what
you do. Now you just need to expand your exposure.
Advertise what you do on social media networks like
Facebook or Twitter, just don’t overdo it. Post videos to YouTube. Create a
website. Join communities like Discover Your Job
Forums and talk about what you do with other people doing
the same. Use each other to create awareness. Help each other to achieve your
goals. Together you are stronger, chasing after the dream of doing what you
love.
“I like to set my goals pretty high, and then
practice leaping. Sure, I stumble and I fall. But then I just get back up stronger.
Every time I leap, I leap a little higher.”
-Charles E. Whaley III
