Updated: October 14, 2022
“Follow your passion” is advice you’ll often hear from entrepreneurs.
Unfortunately, doing so is easier said than done.
And most of those who try to follow their passion, will find themselves at a dead-end and lost on where to actually go.
Such is the case of Mr. D, who is featured in today’s Reader Mail.
Below is what he wrote to me:
“Good morning Sir Fitz. The last time I sent you a message, it was about you and Sir Jon’s New Rich Society program. I watched the free videos until the last part.
And to cut the story short, I ended up not joining. Because number 1: Procrastination and number 2: Fear, which is the reason why I procrastinated. I analyzed myself and realized that fear is really why I keep making bad decisions.
Anyway, reality bites… I have seen some college friends, building their businesses now. Some are into car accessories or have auto-supply shops. They have a clear path as to where they want themselves 10-20 years from now.
Until I realized something today. I asked myself what about me?
I have a dream, I have this dream of not working 9-5 anymore. Escape the rat race, and be my own boss. But the question is, I don’t know how and what to do.
Just like a typical guy, I love cars, I love PC games, and I love pretty girls.
I have read a lot of articles and they keep on telling “Just follow your passion”; but I am the type of guy who would go to bars and just party all night.
I am the guy who plays Starcraft or Warcraft all day without thinking twice about the time I wasted.
How can I chase my passion with those activities?
I want to do something that I can work on to improve my way of living. When I got home today, I kept on searching and searching for opportunities that I can work on. But it’s just the same stuff like multi-level marketing, work-from-home scams, etc.
I know there is nothing wrong with MLM, but it’s not for me as proven by my past MLM days, which were all disastrous.
I know I will excel in something that I can do in front of a computer. But with lots of stuff on the internet, I am soooo overwhelmed with what to do.
It’s 2 am now, and I am just frustrated with my current situation that is why I wrote this. It’s 2 am and I still don’t know what to do.
I want to try stock investments but I have no money to invest and I have credit card debts to pay too.
I hope you can help me.”
Finding Profit From Your Passion
Hi Mr. D.
From what you’ve said, you currently have 3 passions: going to parties, girls, and playing PC games
Just off the top of my head, you can do these things, as based on the people I know who have similar passions as you:
- Going to parties – Start a business as an events manager or coordinator. A friend started by organizing weddings and debuts, but he’s now in corporate parties and concert events.
- Girls – Try photography. This is one of the reasons why a friend got into this hobby. Now, he’s a freelance photographer for magazines and spends a lot of time shooting pretty models.
- PC Games – Consider an internet cafe business. Or you can also become a blogger who will write about game strategies and earn from advertising.
These are just initial ideas and I’m sure there are other opportunities you can pursue. But one thing that I would advise is to choose and start with one today – focus.
FOCUS means Finish One Course Until Successful
You can’t do it all at the same time, and you can’t jump from one passion to the other. That’s why your first step is to really decide which passion you’d like to pursue and accept the fact that you would have to set aside your other passions, temporarily.
Travel photography is one of my passion, but I did not pursue it when I was just beginning and focused on the internet cafe (my very first business). Like you, I was also into PC games like Warcraft back then.
Later on, when I had more free time because my internet cafe is already stable, that’s when I went back to photography and something that I still do today.
Moreover, the reality is that – you will eventually discover new passions through the years… but it’s better to just start with what you have now than wait.
Running an internet cafe helped me discover blogging and that’s when I learned that writing is also a passion of mine.
Furthermore, blogging has allowed me to do public speaking, which eventually led me to teach and hold seminars. This was when I discovered that educating people felt good, so it became another passion.
So I guess that’s my advice for you: Choose a passion and pursue it.
Commit to it. Give it all your focus for 3-4 months and see what will happen. If there’s progress, then continue. But if none, then shift to another passion.
If nothing worked, then just continue to be curious and try new things because you’ll never know that something can be your passion until you try it.
Finally, accept the fact that fear and procrastination will always be your enemy.
But it’s good that you recognize that it is a problem because now, you can consciously choose to prevent yourself from delaying action because of your fears.
To end, I’d like you to watch Steve Job’s commencement address at Stanford, I’ve watched it so many times already but it still never fails to be a source of inspiration and motivation for me.
Note: Parts of the message and my reply have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Photo credits: Michael Coghlan and Maricar Dabao
Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for sharing this! It is my first time to hear Steve Job’s speech. And I just love everything that he said. He’s a real inspiration.
Coincidentally, your advice is related to my current blog post. I was also lost for some time looking for my passion. Now, I am falling in love with it. I hope the letter sender will also find his passion in life. It’s not yet too late! 😄
Truly inspiring!
Very motivating words from the blogger!
Keep it up Sir! Thank you.
Thank you Sir Fitz. It is inspiring. Focus is the key.
OMG. This article stuck me! Super good timing, because I’m in the moment of finding my own passion, and I’m currently interested in hand drawn calligraphy. I watched the video of Steve Jobs and surprisingly that he also do calligraphy!
Thanks for the inspiration!
My passion in life, MAKING MONEY but not because of greed. I knew when I moved to the Philippines seven years ago, there were few employment opportunities open to a retirement age foreigner. I brought several skill sets with me, one of which is my on-line option trading business. I took my Social Security very yearly, the tradeoff being I will always receive only 70% of what I could have if I waited to full retirement age. That allowed me time to focus in more on my stock and option trading. I thank God for that skill. When my first wife had a return of cancer after 16 years of remission, we had the extra money needed until she was called home. I was able to rebuild that account and have money again to start new business here in the Philippines. For the third time, I am running up the account as our new business grows and prospers. I can take pass on the nights out and especially video games, I see all the action I need in the markets on my computer screen. God has given me “the pretty girl” as I was blessed with a wonderful woman here in the Philippines who is now my wife. My advise to a younger guy, be sure you are mature enough for marriage and chose more than a pretty face, Look for a girl who will be a partner in all you do, be sure you uplift and complement each other. Before marriage, be sure that you have that special something where you can cover each other’s weakness. Then, you have the support for the other partner to explore and develop their passions. Now, back to that money. I love what I do NOT for the status, not for the buying power or any reason most would think. My wife and I love to have extra to help others. WE never allow people to film or take pictures of what we do. We slip in and feed street kids, sometimes purchasing school supplies for those we have verified still go to school. We help disabled and elderly people. We have been able to help some very ill people and all the more because my wife also has a nursing degree so she can guide confused folks on where they should look for treatment. We have many more projects and all of this is because we were able to harness our passions in life and earn from it.