Life Style
6 Steps to help you turn your passion into your profession
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“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. Although it's unclear who these words are attributed to, I owe a debt of gratitude to the wise soul who so beautifully articulated my existence in two sentences. I have spent my entire career as that proverbial fish out of water. Completely sold on a specific image of success — the high-powered, beast of the boardroom, Olivia Pope meets Annalise Keating hybrid, I targeted a corporate profession as a means of achieving this ideal. I did pretty well, amassing a solid resume with great organizations, even working with some dynamic real-life versions of the fictional movers and shakers that I had sought to model myself after. It was an invaluable experience that I credit with building my confidence and business acumen, but it grated against everything within me. I have since surrendered to what I know to be my purpose — writing, sharing our experiences, and using my voice to change the way people see themselvesLet me pause here to give a shout out to everyone who is about that structured gig life. To all my educators, retail managers, and corporate bosses, I see you out here making moves with your regular income, paid vacation and cushy benefits. I applaud you.


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3. Get over your guilt. I come from a long line of solid hard-working, blue-collar folks that would have given anything for the kind of opportunities I walked away from. "Purpose? Passion? Girl please,” said my internal dialogue. I felt guilty for not being satisfied where I was until I realized that there was no shame in wanting more. My ancestors labored and suffered and marched to put me in this position. I honor their sacrifice by living out every ounce of potential I inherited from them — GUILT FREE
4.Throw out the stats. Every failed dream begins with the phrase, “What are the chances?” If your dream is big enough, chances are that the chances of achieving them are pretty slim.The reason they are slim is not because they’re impossible, but because everyone else is looking at the same stats and opting for the safe route. Are you willing to abandon the safe route? Your answer to this question has to be “yes.” This is not to say you shouldn’t prepare, or research, or have a plan, but the pursuit will require faith. You have to believe more in yourself than in the odds
