Personal Revelations: From Old Paths to Rediscovering Passions
Have you ever felt challenged between doing what you love and what you need to do for money? That’s where I found myself. On one side, there’s my love for writing, drawing, cooking and creating — the things that really make me happy. On the other side, there’s the need to earn a living, to bring in a steady income. This isn’t just about paying bills; it’s about finding a way to do what I love without worrying about money. In this article, I’ll share my own story of trying to balance these two sides. It’s about my journey to let go of the old ways and create a new path where I can follow my passions and still make ends meet.
In recent times, my professional life has been full of challenges and changes. While most people only see the external changes — the ones within the world of matter such as work, money, possession — the real transformation that I am experiencing are from the inside, beyond just the visible results.
When you’ve been following a certain path for almost 10 years and suddenly realize it’s not right for you, the instinct is to hit the reset button. Easier said than done. So many things are holding you back, including and most importantly yourself (or is it only yourself?). This process of detaching from my past and embracing a new direction is unfolding in unexpected ways. I am still in it, and perhaps writing and sharing about it is a way of continuing this process.
To sum up in this introduction, this article is a personal revelation of how I’m shifting my professional life to align more with my inner values and passions, rather than just external expectations and pressures.
The Hints & Signs
My first project was born out of a deep desire to create something from scratch. It wasn’t about building a business for the sake of business, but about the passion for creation. However, as time went on, this passion faded into the background, overtaken by the business aspects of the project. The thrill of creating was replaced by routine business tasks.
This shift was my first sign, though I didn’t recognize it immediately. In hindsight, it’s clear: when you start losing touch with the core reason you began something, it’s a signal to reevaluate your path. At the time, I kept pushing through, thinking it was just a phase. But deep down, something felt off.
This initial venture led to more projects and assignments in the same area, creating a natural evolution in my career. It felt like a logical progression: I was doing ‘Y’ today because I did ‘X’ yesterday, and it seemed natural to continue with ‘Z’ tomorrow.
The advice I can offer from this experience is to stay tuned to your inner feelings. Often, when something isn’t right, your mind tries to rationalize it. But when you’re on the right path, there’s a deep sense of conviction and belief in what you’re doing, without hesitation. This insight became a guiding principle for me.
If you’re ever in a situation where you feel a disconnect between what you’re doing and what you initially set out to do, pause and reflect. Are you still aligned with your original passion and purpose? Or has the routine overshadowed your initial drive?
Pausing and Reflecting
For me, pausing and reflecting took a literal form. I stepped away from my coworking space and disengaged from my usual activities. For about one to two months, I did the bare minimum, creating a sort of ‘blank page’ in my professional life. For me, it has a double significance: on one hand, it’s a tool for creativity, inviting me to fill it with writing and drawings. On the other hand, it represents a fresh start, a way to clear away the cluttered and filled pages of my past experiences and start anew.
Initially, I thought time alone would help me find the answers. However, as weeks passed, I realized that waiting wasn’t enough. It was the next part of this period, filled with meditation, journaling, and deep reflection, that truly made a difference.
One of the biggest challenges during this phase was distinguishing work versus passion. I learned that authenticity should always be the driving force in my decisions, with strategic thinking following as a natural extension, rather than the other way around where strategy alone guided my choices.
In this break, I really looked at the two sides of my work. First, there’s the part I actually like, like writing blogs and business plans. These are things I did in my old job and I don’t want to throw them away completely. But then, there’s the business stuff that I’m not as enthusiastic about anymore. However, I’ve come to realize that business tasks are inevitable, even in work driven by passion.
The major shift for me now is in my approach: instead of focusing solely on finding clients and work, I’m prioritizing doing what I enjoy. I believe that by sharing and executing my passions, clients will naturally be drawn to my work. There will still be some ‘strategy’ and ‘selling,’ but these will come as natural extensions of my authenticity, not as the primary drivers.
Similarly, rather than rushing into creating a company with the pressure of expenses and milestones, I’m choosing to build it up organically. My passion for what I do will be at the forefront, guiding the growth of my business. This approach contrasts with my past strategy-first mindset, marking a significant shift towards a passion-led career path.
Moreover, in pursuing what truly inspires me, I recognize that this goes beyond just ‘work.’ My passion is more than a job; it’s a vital part of who I am. Importantly, the traditional markers of business success, like making big money, aren’t my primary focus. Of course, sustaining myself financially is necessary, but it’s not the driving force. For me, success is being able to live off my passion, allowing it to be the core of my daily life. This realization reshapes how I view my career and goals, placing fulfillment and authenticity above conventional measures of success.
This phase wasn’t just about waiting for time to pass; it was about using that time to understand that the next steps in my career had to be led by genuine interest and joy, rather than obligation or habit.
Being Yourself
I used to think changing meant first letting go of the old and then embracing the new. But it’s not that simple. It’s not about cutting ties with the past and then magically becoming your new self. Instead, it’s about living in the present, being truly you. When you do that, you naturally move away from the old ways without even trying.
Every day, I’m dealing with two sides of me. One is tied to the past, to the old ways of thinking and doing things, especially in my work life. This was about strategy, organizing, and planning. The other side is about being in the present, being more authentic and self-confident. This new way is less about planning every step and more about just being myself.
To stay in tune with this new me, I focus on simple things like breathing, meditating, journaling, or sometimes just being still, doing nothing. These moments are crucial for reminding myself of who I am and what I truly want to do. It’s easy to get caught up in old habits and tasks and forget about these important things.
It’s not always easy, especially when you don’t see immediate results. But when you’re true to yourself, the path forward becomes clearer, and you start to believe more in yourself and your choices.
