What Now?

"There is no passion to be found playing small--in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."

Once you have found your calling… once you are working within your passion. Now what?

I like to live in the space between that question of “Now What? And What Now?” If it’s a new job, then you’ll enjoy the hours of working towards your professional goals. If goals haven’t been established yet, then it’s time to look at what the position holds, what you were hired to do, and where you want to see it go. It may need an open conversation with your hiring team, the HR person, or even your boss. If that boss happens to be you, then it’s time to define your WHAT’S NEXT approach and to list those steps to what feels successful for you.

If your passion is a side hustle. You can read that paragraph above this sentence again. Now also include balance to that. When you are juggling a “dreamers” goal, you’ll need to be really good at managing your time between your actual job (that helps to pay the bills), family, and your dream. It’s super doable.

“You gotta run more than your mouth to escape the treadmill of mediocrity. A true hustler jogs during the day, and sleepwalks at night.” – Jarod Kintz

No one has ever done anything important (perfectly) on the first try—failing once or even dozens of times—should never mean failing forever. While reading John C. Maxwell’s book, “Failing Forward,” a quote stuck with me. “The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.” So the better you get at failing while creating habits, the better you will continue to be at besting yourself weekly, monthly, however long it takes. If it is truly your passion, it will never feel like work. That is the long-term benefit here.

Think of any favorite pro athlete. If they didn’t love the sport they played, spending 9 hours a day hitting balls, shooting hoops, or banging their body into another human would start to feel like work. The word “playing” itself conjures up more joy than drudgery, am I right?

Working within your passion increases your self-confidence, it might even lower your stress levels, and your fulfillment in your work might be at an all-time new level in smiles. That means those around you get the best of you. Doesn't that feel good to say?

"Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate." - Jon Bon Jovi

So, what happens now is you take those measures to challenge yourself. To be present in each day and allow the joy to unfold. If you are not quite there yet, be gentle with yourself – then use visualization to help in that process. 10 minutes a day can help you visualize where you what client you want next, what trade show you'd like to be walking, whom you want to get in front of, speaking to what type of audience and on what topic… it’s your dream, it's your passion. I can't write that for you. I can tell you that with every new contract signed, with every new client I reach out to, the higher their position, the more I get scared... the more I get excited about the next steps. If you do that for yourself, your family, you’ll have fewer regrets later on in life, than if you didn't just go for it! Send that resume in, reach out to an old colleague/friend, or create that business plan.

 No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. - quote from a 90 year old

I’ll be over here cheering you on.