Are you doing what you love? If not, why not?
It may sound counter-intuitive, but let’s face it, doing what you love isn’t easy. It’s a lot harder than doing not what you love.
You don’t simply drop everything, switch off and switch on and you are on the way to finding your calling. Sabotage, stereotypes, resistance, expectations, distractions and judgement from self, family, friends, or even strangers, and social media etc, are some of greatest challenges faced by anyone who wishes to do what they love. People will want to have a say in your new venture. Are you going to cave in?
Doing what you love comes at a price, doing not what you love also comes at a price. Which one can you afford?
It doesn’t surprise me that people are more likely to regret for things they haven’t done, than for things they have done wrong. What it’s telling us is plain and simple, loud and clear.
For me, doing what I love is a choice, a conscious choice. It’s a responsible thing to do for my life.
The other day a friend asked me if I’m now a full time YouTuber. I paused, then laughed. The short answer is Yes.
I’m a complete beginner. That’s OK. My newest hobby is far cry from anything I’ve done before. That’s OK. The channel is in its infancy, many light years away from becoming a household name. That’s OK. At least, I’m doing what I love. How long will I do it for? That’s a good question. The answer is until I don’t love it anymore.
But what about job security, financial security, money and all that? No, I don’t get any of those, yet. It’s a price I have to pay for doing what I love. That’s OK.
While I am all in, it doesn’t mean I haven’t psyched myself up or thought about a Plan B or some kind of fallback plan, in case things go pear-shaped down the track.
Dr. Doris Brougham, the founder of a popular English teaching magazine Studio Classroom in 1962 in Taiwan, now in her 90’s is still teaching English on the radio. She’s living proof that do what you love and you will last, as the longevity of her chosen career has shown.
Doing what we love is rewarding in itself but it doesn’t just stop there. What’s more, when we do what we love, we get in the flow, we are in the zone. We feel much happier and more fulfilled. That to me is priceless…
Ted Tsai 