In 2021, it feels like the multi-hyphenated lifestyle has taken over. Everyone is doing more than two things at once, juggling their day job and a passion project that makes them a valuable asset for their company. It’s not even just about inviting the money in; it’s about chasing that feeling of being alive.
If you’ve ever felt like you wanted to do more for your own career, this is the time to think outside your comfort zone and find your passion. Here’s how.
Introspect about what you do during your free time
Ideally, this is something other than sleeping. Think of things you don’t have to be told to do, whether that’s cleaning the house, writing, journaling, learning, or creating content. If you love social media and your posts engage your audience, then perhaps your passion is something related to social media management–which you can leverage to help other companies improve their online visibility. If you are interested in makeup and you tend to enjoy cosmetics online shopping, maybe a passion project geared towards fashion and style is more to your liking.
Be true to yourself
You may aspire to do one thing, but the reality is you just can’t. When you’re spending so much time online, consuming all sorts of content, it can’t be helped that you’ll want to be the people you watch. However, there is a difference between admiring what they do and wanting to do the same thing. If you enjoy following artists and learning more about them, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be an artist yourself. Allow yourself to enjoy your hobby (viewing aesthetic videos) without forcing yourself into the artist ideal yourself. With this out of the way, you are free to explore what you are actually passionate about.
Keep track of your time
First, you were told to introspect about what you do during your free time. Now, think of how much free time you actually have, and how much of it you can devote to your passion project. If the goal is to feel more alive, you’ll want to make the conscious effort to reduce your nap hours and be more active doing your passion project. But if that is not doable, perhaps you’ll want to give yourself some leeway. Never sacrifice your mental health for anything–even if that is supposedly your passion.
Of course, there are some habits you’ll want to form to do your passion project. Where you were used to just watching shows on Netflix before, now you have to be more active doing something else. Make sure you still have some time for enjoyment, but make sure that you also enjoy the time you spend on your passion project.
In the 21st century, where everyone you know is doing so many productive things at once, it’s easy to feel less. The trick is to do something you naturally gravitate towards, no matter the industry. This is your passion, and the only measure of success is your happiness.
