I Put All My Focus Into Getting a Job, Instead Of Pursuing What I Love And Do Well
Lesson on pursuing a passion
At fifteen when I completed the tenth grade, I picked a stream of study I was least interested in.
At eighteen, I chose an undergraduate degree which would lead to a career I had no clue about. Ended up realising it wasn’t for me.
At twenty-two, I decided to pursue Masters's in a specialisation that I was told was not a well-paying one. But I chose it anyway because it was something that fairly interested me.
Did decently, and landed a stable job. I enjoy it. But is this my Ikigai? Probably not.
Thinking of my academic and professional rollercoaster, I realised how deeply we’re influenced by society and people to put all our focus on getting a decently paying job rather than identifying and nurturing what we’re passionate about or what we’re innately good at.
This mostly leads to a never-ending cycle of feeling frustrated in day jobs and the regret of not choosing one’s passion. For most people, changing tracks to pursue a career of interest gets difficult at a later stage. Familial and financial commitments start piling up.
Fifteen-year-old me was made to think there was no well-paying career if I didn’t pursue STEM. Eighteen-year-old me was made to think I had to pick a degree that would guarantee a job at the end of three years.
Thankfully, twenty-two year old finally realised it’s about picking what interests you and what you would not mind doing for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for the next 40 years.
I’ve been working at this job for two years now. But I’ve made it a personal mission to also find activities I enjoy and want to spend more doing them.
How I got a whole new perspective
I recently read The Almanac of Naval Ravikant*, which gave me a whole new perspective, somewhat like a mental unlock.
In one of the sections, he talks about developing specific knowledge and leveraging it. As per Ravikant, specific knowledge is something you do effortlessly.
The best way to identify yours is to look back at what you did passionately and did well during your childhood or teenage. Specific knowledge develops naturally as a result of one’s unique upbringing and circumstances.
Reflecting back, I realised writing was mine. I developed it because of the way I was raised and educated.
Twenty-six-year-old me now knows that life doesn’t necessarily have to be about one job or one profession. I work in Human Resources but I love to think of myself as a writer, traveller and artist.
*More information on this at the end of the article
Yet, what was I doing wrong?
But even when I realised that writing was something I did well, I immediately started off thinking of the different ways in which I could monetise my writing in a short span of time with minimal effort.
I did a fair bit of research about setting up a side hustle in writing. I read more of Naval and other writers. Slowly, I realised and accepted that there was no such shortcut.
There is no escape from patience and perseverance. Great things cannot be built with shortcuts.
But then, did I abandon the idea of pursuing writing? No!
Writing for the joy of it
I decided to write more. Write about art, travel, personal notes, opinions and pretty much everything that catches my attention.
Just because I enjoy the process of putting my thoughts onto paper and I believe I do it well. I have one ultimate mantra to become a better writer and that is to write more!
I plan to write more blog posts on various topics and ideas. Write on multiple platforms. Write various forms of content. All this, with no specific material reward in mind.
I’m excited to find out where this takes me, both personally and professionally!
Links: (pasting at the end because I didn’t want you to click on the link and get distracted in the middle of the article)
Free E-copy of The Almanac of Naval Ravikant
But I believe this is a book you must hold in your hands when you read (and re-read) it and must cherish it as a part of your collection of books. So here’s the Amazon link to the paperback version: Buy on Amazon
