Do (not) Always, Do What You Love to Do!

oday is a very special day. Being un-well, I sit-up all through the night in pain and I start to wonder about blogging to occupy my mind. I thank the new acquaintance I met at the Clinic, I visited today, for giving me this thought that occupied my mind and killed my pain. A budding young beautiful twelfth grader sharing her thoughts about career. She said, 'I love many things, then how can I choose and more so, what I choose may not pay what I want.', very well said. The matter that intrigued me to this blog.


How often we hear, 'Follow your passion and there would be no stone unturned and no barriers to your success'. Until today, I did not give much thought to this statement. But, does passion always pay your lifestyle? How often have we heard about failed people who never made it to the top. The passion was to be a great musician and the musician landed up to be a day-waged freelancer at hotels and night clubs. Many such times what do we hear as value advice, 'To make it big, you must truly follow your passion'. That is right, I do not dispute the statement, after-all great men have said this. However, what if, you do not know what is your passion. For a young beginner, everything interests him or her starting from movies to gadgets to music to sports and sometimes studies, rather reading. Then how can one choose what to follow. Today, its a competitive, multicultural world were all new comers need to be warriors loaded with credentials, great degrees, good social and interpersonal skills, analytical and logical skills, impressive negotiation and communication skills and preferably multilingual as well....this list will be endless. So were do you fit it all and how much more will you fight to make it to the top. There is no one motivation statement that fits all.

 Its all about 'Designing your Life' as, you need to follow your passion while you satisfy your needs. My dear new comers (adolescents, fresh graduates, career starters), become one of the wonderful craftsman in, designing your life. List your interests and what you think are your passion, but do not forget, to make your career out of your passion you need to give it sometime to know your real passion. You can still become something else while passion takes the form of your hobby since, as you grow and gain experience your interests will vary.  Remember, passion is one that will not change over time. The key to success is, 'Its not always, do what you love to do, but its about, learn to love what you do' and you will eventually find your passion. Look for challenges and experience of learning new things rather than showing a spontaneous disinterest to new things. Do not get carried away by per-conceived negativity over courses you take, over roles or particular type of jobs you are assigned. This also includes,

• dislike about the university you end up in,
• the course you end up with,
• the company you land up working for,
• the title you are assigned, or
• the job profile you are give etc.,

You may think why I have written it here the negative way reflecting your inner voice sounding loud,'what have you done to yourself?'. This is how many a times you feel but, my dear, this is not the end; its always the beginning of your life and you can design it very beautifully.
A college drop out landed himself up in the role of a waiter in the most sub-standard restaurant to feed himself and his needs. But hold it before you conclude it to be bad. Being small and substandard, maybe, it opened avenues to a broader learning for him. Could be that, he learned to cook and that too the most unique recipes that made him to the Master Chef of tomorrow. There are many great men who started their career low. We have heard about them but not at all times taken the right learning from their life. They are people who challenged life and with an open mind to fight, they learn from their experience.
Lot of times, we do not realize the importance of the experience we gain in life. Every experience needs to be taken wholeheartedly and given the fullest effort. Of course, while you do this, do not forget the great man saying,

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.” - Steve Jobs

It is you who can design your life well. All you need is an open-mind and a will to fight and the positivity to learn new things and gain experience, of-course without giving up your passion. Do what you like to do, but think twice if you want to assign it the role of your career or your hobby. Learn to adapt to the situation of life you are in and give it your fullest effort, just to gain from its experience. Do keep looking within yourself of what you want to be and design yourself better. Be a craftsman who improves over time and practice. Remember, there is no one who has got it right the first time around and that is why it is said, 'Failures Are Stepping Stone to Success'.