Written by: Allison Castle, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
This spring, I got to experience a college visit from the parent's perspective for the first time. In the opening session for the visit, the main speaker said there are 3 types of students that enter their university... They first know 100% what they want to do; they are clear on their major, emphasis, and likely even their minor.
The second generally knows what department or college they are interested in. For example, they know they want to do something in business but are not sure whether it is marketing, accounting, management, etc.
The third has no idea and is still exploring their passion.
My first thought was as a parent that will be financially assisting my children with college expenses (which in itself could lead me on a whole other rant about the ridiculousness of the cost of higher education in the US) there is no way I would be paying college tuition for my student to just play around and find their passion!
My second thought was, why do we expect teenagers to have their passion figured out and for making such a strong academic and financial commitment to turn that passion into a profession?
It is a lot of pressure! There are societal norms for success, there are parental expectations to live up to, and there are peers to compare to…
As an adult, we can still feel that pressure. We may be asked, “What do you do?”
Have you noticed how you answer? Do you say, “I am a person who works in (this field),” or Do you say “I am a…”
It is a subtle difference, but our profession and our job title become such a large part of our identity. Maybe that is why it can feel important to have our profession and passion be one and the same. It may also feel like a marker of ultimate success and achievement to have made our passion into a lucrative business endeavor.
I remember a point in my life when I was very jealous of those special people who figured out how to make money doing something they loved. I was at a job where I felt intellectually stimulated, I enjoyed my co-workers, I made good money and when my work day was done, I was able to leave work at work.
However, for a while, I felt less than successful because I had a job that was just “good enough” and I had no idea how to make money with any of my passions or hobbies.
But that feeling didn’t last long because I discovered something...It is absolutely ok to strive for something more, bigger or better, but it is also ok to use what you have in a different way...
So, here's a little perspective shift I had...
What if was ok for the way I made money to be separate from my passions and hobbies?
What if my job gave me peace of mind with money so that I could dedicate my free time to my hobbies and passions?
What if my job helped me financially invest in my hobbies and passions?
What if my job connected me to people that fuel or share my hobbies or passions?
What if my passion stopped bringing me joy because it became my work?
What other perspective shifts could you have around your job that could make you feel more empowered and enjoy what you have right now?
As I continue to support my children in their exploration of profession and passion. I want to empower them and I believe the best message I can send is: It’s great to have a profession that provides for your needs. It’s great to have a passion you enjoy. And it is important to know that they do not have to be one and the same.
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Allison Castle, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Allison Castle is a Mastery Certified Transformational Coach, Meditation Teacher, and Certified Public Accountant. After years of following the "expected path", chasing the traditional standards of success, and coming up short on feeling successful or fulfilled, Allison created her Life Alignment Coaching Program to help women stop waiting until they reach that milestone (number on a scale, job title, income level, etc.) to finally find the feeling of fulfillment and success that they have been working so hard for. Her mission: Don't wait for the destination. Enjoy the Journey!
