love the work you do

The Unexpected Things that Happen When You Love the Work You Do

love the work you do

I am in love with the work I do. It’s the kind of love that keeps me engaged and excited about the next project, program and proposal. This sounds great right? I mean who wouldn’t want to be ok with thinking about work 24/7 (most people would rather ponder paint drying on a wall), but I’ve learned that being infatuated with what you do can sometimes yield some unexpected outcomes.

You Start to Peel Down the Layers

When you do what you love you automatically start to become more in tune with yourself. Every human being possesses high levels of creativity and in order to tap into that we must allow our brains to relax and revel in the things that bring us joy. When you create in alignment with your passion – whether it be art, spreadsheets, furniture or a cafe – you are letting all the unconscious talents bottled up inside spew out through each of your senses, opening up a world of new possibilities. The layers of who you thought you were drift away and you begin to get deep into the core of your true self. You realize what it is that you want in this one precious life we have.

Some People Start to Hate on You

I run a nonprofit and an online magazine/creative agency, which requires serious dedication, pretty much all my time and attention and quite a bit of travel. My brain is always on overload and can be difficult to shut down even when it really should get my pained attempts to hit the “Off” button. Because I am always thinking about funding, project proposals, pitching, events, meetings and emails, I tend to be sucked into a world that revolves around my passions (and to-do lists). This can be problematic when people you were once close with no longer understand why you spend so much time dedicated to your work and even start to hate on you a bit. More on this below.

You Start to Take Risks

Once you get a taste of what it is like to love the work you do, you’ll do anything to keep it that way. This means taking financial risks, traveling to places you never thought you’d go, moving out of a home you love and going way out of your comfort zone for extended periods of time. At times, this can make you feel pretty crappy and unsettled, but man does it build resilience and you’ll be better for it in the end.

You Attract People Who Have Similar Passions

So I talked about the haters, now let me address all the wonderful, amazing people you’ll draw into your life. Passion creates energy and everything on this planet is made up of energy. (If you don’t believe me check out Einstein’s Law of Attraction). When your energy is laser focused on something, you attract other people whose energy matches the energy you are exuding. You’ll find yourself randomly meeting people who share the very same interests and passions you enjoy and because you are ‘creating’ the work you love these people will match as collaborators, partners, mentors and loyal friends.

You Do What You Can’t

YouTuber Casey Neistat recently released a video called Do What You Can’t. It’s a call to action to his followers and fans to raise their middle finger to all the people in their life that tried to hold them back by saying “you can’t”. Neistat points out that if you’re going for greatness you will inevitably run into people who will tell you that you’re dreams are not possible. Most of us that do what we love have had to go beyond our wildest imagination to make stuff happen. We do what we can’t and we do it often.

It’s no secret that most people who get to do what they love have gone through hell and back. So why do we do it?

Freedom.

We are the ones who refused to be controlled by what society has decided should be our fate. Instead, we take the reins and head for the horizon, knowing that the journey will not be easy, but in the end it’s the path we chose to take, not the one someone else determined for us.

 

Feature image by Anthony Russo

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The Culture-ist