First Article in the Series:
Making Work Play
Knowing your Passions, Strengths and Values give you powerful tools for living the life of your dreams. Yet making a living is what most of us desire to do on a daily basis. The premise behind knowing your passions, strengths and values is to build a business that reflects those elements, allows you to spend 75% or more of your time working in them and provides a valued product or service to those you serve.
There is much written and spoken about “following your passions” or, “do what you love and the money will come.” When most of us hear these sayings, we roll our eyes and think yeah…I’d be starving if that is what I did.
If our knowledge of our passions, strengths and values is shallow, this is an appropriate response. We think of those things we would rather be doing, than our job or career we have presently. Perhaps you are passionate about your family. Hmmm….how do you make a living at that? I am passionate about riding and spending time with my horse. However, if that is all I did, he and I would be giving rides downtown in return for pocket change. Even that would be a limited business; he is a bit too tall for most people to want a ride!
While the sayings above have an important meaning, it’s only when you know who you are, what you do well and why you like to do it that you will have success “doing what you love.” This next series is going to explore just that, within the context that you are generally in an appropriate business for your passions, strengths and values. This is not so much about career changing; it is about making the most of your business or career right where you are.
Most clients that I work with are in a field, industry or career they enjoy – when they get to do the parts of it they enjoy! So many of us get caught up in running the business or taking care of details or putting out fires, that we spend 25% or less of our time “doing what we love.” You, and only you, have the power to change that. When you do, your business will become a stronger reflection of you, attracting more clients or business that you enjoy, while providing sufficient free time to be with your family or to hand-graze your horse – no pocket change needed!