In the course of my work as a career and leadership coach, I see many professionals at their career crossroads, juggling or searching to have a career that aligns to their different priorities. It is not an easy juggle, which is why some decide to give up one for another.
At different stage in our lives, we value different things. When I was a young graduate, money let me know my “value” in the society after all the years of study. It gave me independence. At mid-career, we have our aging parents and children. Striving for work-life balance, passion, career progression and saving for retirement are some of the considerations at this stage. In the course of my work as a career and leadership coach, I see many professionals at their career crossroads, juggling or searching to have a career that aligns to their different priorities. It is not an easy juggle, which is why some decide to give up one for another. Passion is “doing something that captures your heart”. There are three types of responses I get from my clients in pursuing passion. The first is “I do not have a choice; it is only a dream”. This first group does not believe that it is possible to do something you love. Family commitment, age, skills, experience, high standard of living are some common reasons given for not able to pursue passion.
The second group has the response “I will only work for my passion”. This group of professionals will do everything to pursue their passion. This includes not having pay, long hours and making huge sacrifices. They can get burnt out and may give up eventually. The third group has the response “I want to make a difference”. They believe pursuing passion is “not a destination but a journey”. It is a journey of growing and being authentic with the kind of person you want to be, the values you want to uphold and the impact you want to bring through the work you do. They have the common characteristics: courageous to act, positive, imaginative, determined and patient. I like to believe that they enjoy more job satisfaction because of their belief that they can make a difference to others, big or small. It is not about their passion, it about the impact they bring to others as a result of their passion. Should we work for passion or for money? Perhaps we should be asking “does the work we do makes us more of who we want to be and are we making a difference to others the way we want”. Or are we always left with no choice?
