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Over the weekend, I was flipping and flopping through stations when I serendipitously landed on Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs. You know the one where he does a dirty job for a day – things none of us really dream of doing (cleaning poo, picking up owl vomit, etc.) yet, we’re drawn in like a moth to a flame and can’t stop watching it? Yep, that one.
Well, he had a special on 5 things he learned about employment. They were pretty shocking. So shocking, in fact, that I thought I’d reveal one of the dirty little secrets here.
Are you ready for it?
“Don’t follow your passion, bring it with you.”
Ack! What?! You mean everything I have been saying about passion so far has been…WRONG?!
Well. Maybe.
Guess it all depends how you look at it. Here’s what I think. I think sometimes we wait and wait for _________ (inspiration, love, answers) to come before we take action. We think maybe like Chicken Little, something’s gotta drop down from the heavens and hit us on the head before we do anything about it.
Instead, the workers Mike Rowe follows have passion because they found it in the jobs that they were already in. Sure, part of living a happy life in any situation you’re in, is your attitude. Actually that’s a HUGE part of it! That’s something you can control. That means if you’re typing away at a job you dislike, but you’ve got to be there to support your family, for example, you can still have a happy life. There are things you can do in the meantime to keep your head above water. It also means that every job has someone who’s passionate about doing it. Those people are the real deal. They can find energy, excitement and gratitude, even flow in what they’re doing.
What it doesn’t mean is that you have to settle for the rest of your life, doing something you despise or that you’ll never, ever figure out your purpose in life. On the contrary, what it means is that we have choices. We can make the best of the situation we are in now, while still working on our dreams. Yes, you can have passion in what ever you do even if you dislike what you’re doing. You can bring that passion with you on your journey so that one day soon you’ll find out what you’re purpose is in life. The thing is, you won’t know until you go out and try it.
How would you ever know you’re destined to be a _________ (toilet crusher, worm catcher, etc.) or the many other unique jobs there are out there unless you try it? Try it and give your over 100% effort and then see how you feel. Do that and you’ll be one step closer to finding your dream career.
Trust me. I went from private investigator to research assistant, then realized and reconfirmed my dream to be a writer.
