This blog will explain why you need to explore the world outside of your comfort zone and get your hands dirty in order to find your passion; a path I urge you to walk! The year is 1980 and you are a child of Generation X (b.1964-1978). It is time for you to earn a living by exploring the working world. You are not sure what you are passionate about, but your parents told you to get a job working for a company at as a production worker because it paid well and had a good pension. 30 years later you find yourself in the same industry; bored and detached from your life. Now imagine yourself in the year 2019 and you are a child of Generation Z (b.1996-2010). It is time for you to earn a living by exploring the working world. Again, like the child of Generation X, you are unsure what to do, your parents have told you exactly what career path to take, but unlike the Generation X child, you do not have to follow the same path, you have something the Generation X child didn’t, you have options.
There are more doors now
In 1980 the options were limited. There were really two options advertise to people: become an academic or become a worker. The decision of which route to walk was governed by the security of the person. If your parents could afford for you to become an academic, you would continue education with the aim of securing a high paying job. If, however, you or your family could not afford education, you became a worker. For the majority of people those were the two options available. No real room for passion.
Nowadays, the world is different. The options to find your passion are limitless because, for the majority, your decision is not based on security. In most countries the government will support those who has no place to stay or nothing to eat. So, for the majority, security is not the problem. Everyone has access to the internet, which opens countless more doors than the child from Generation X. There is no excuse, as the ‘everyday’ person now has more opportunities available than ever before. The opportunities just need to be taken. Here are some examples of the options available now:
- Start working
- Set up a business
- Apprenticeships
- Online course learning
- Work for free
- After-school activities
Trial and error
Adults learn best from experimenting. For the most part you don’t blindly accept what you are told, as deep down you feel curious and have a desire to experiment. This is true of how you find our passion. You cannot be told:
- Go become a doctor; that is your passion
- Go start a mechanic business; that is your passion
- Go start a business; that is your passion
Just because another person, most likely your parents, told you to follow a path, or completely ignore your passion altogether, it does not mean they are right. In order for you to find your passion you need to try different experiences, careers and meet new people. You have a better chance to find your passion by trying as much as possible, rather than sitting at home doing the same thing again and again.
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You aren’t too good to get your hands dirty
Don’t think you are too good to get your hands dirty. There are social media influencers out there, sharing photos of their bodies over the internet, in order to pay for medical school. There are people out there working a job and running a business on the side working 20 hours a day, in order to realise their passion. There are children out there going to three after-school activities to try something different. People often say that “having your passion as a job is for the privileged.” In some rare cases this may be true, but in almost all cases, the ‘privileged’ person still had to get their hands dirty to find and execute their passion. It is your choice. You have two options:
- Do the same thing and fall into the same trap year after year
- Take the lead in your life, open yourself up to new and exciting experiences. Take the time to put yourself out there and find your passion. I urge you to take this path!
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How to reference this page
- Toor, J. (2019). Find your passion by getting your hands dirty. Available at: https://pmgrowth.co/find-your-passion-by-getting-your-hands-dirty