I used to think this was weird… (This may stop you from doing work you love)

by | Apr 5, 2018 | Roadblocks to Work You Love

  • Do you sometimes think that the thing you love doing is weird? or not cool?
  • or do you discount it, and think you don’t actually have anything you love or any passion?  When people ask you what you enjoy doing, you cannot find an answer.
Well, I did. I used to think what I love was weird and “not cool.” … and this stopped me for a long time from doing the work I love.Since my early twenties, I have been drawn to personal growth. In bookstores (when bookstores where still popular!), I would spend hours in the Personal Help and Psychology section. I would totally dig learning more about me and how I could be more fulfilled in my life.When I went to my first therapy session at age 20, I totally loved it and I loved how I felt after! I discovered how cool it was for me to dig deeper within myself, to travel within, and learn more about how I function, how others function, and  how we can grow.

Yet, I did not think it was a passion, or a least a legitimate one. When people would ask me what I love, I would not think about mentioning it. I thought it was a weird thing to love and I discounted it.

At the time, I could not find anybody who had this passion or who did work related to that passion.

In my family, it was non existent.
In my close communities, I would never heard of it.
In the medias, I rarely heard about it.
At school, it was not mentioned at all.

So I thought it was odd or weird to love it… and that I should love something else, more “normal.”

Like the “traditional” careers I would hear of and see around me:  teacher, doctor, farmer, librarian, nurse, and so on.

I thought I had to choose one of them. There was no other choices.

So, I conformed.

I did the “cool” thing or what society says it is “cool.” Or I did what was available and known to me.

  • First, I chose archeology, more because people thought it was “cool” than because I had a true passion for it.
  • Then, I went into information science and user experience. I worked in the field of user experience for 10 years. There was definitely a part of it that I enjoyed, yet that was not my full passion.
When I would share what I do, I would hear “wow, this is so cool.”But inside, I was doubting if it was really that cool for me…It is only in my mid thirties, when I reached a point I was very unhappy in my work, that I started seriously considering my love for personal development as a potential career path. Growing up, I did not fit into the “traditional career” category because what I loved was different. There was not category for it at least I could not see any. My love for personal development was not valued in my immediate environment and in the mainstream culture.

Can you relate? 

  • Do you discount what you truly love?
  • Do you think what you love is not cool?
  • Do you conform to what others or society think is cool?
  • Do you think that what you love cannot be part of your career?
  • Or do you think you cannot make a living out of it because you don’t know anybody around you doing that?
It is a common block I see with the clients I work with.Well, I am a proof that this is not true. My passion for self-discovery and personal growth is an integral part of my livelihood now. A lot of my friends and acquaintances are people who do the same.Last Friday, I was at the book launch of my friend, Brandon who like me, coaches people to align their lives and careers with their purpose. I was surrounded with so many people like me, who love personal and professional development and work in that field. My tribe! Where I belong.

I don’t feel weird anymore.

So, I know these old beliefs I had were not true. The more I feed my passion for personal growth, the better coach I am. All the classes and books I read helps me in my work. There is no more separation between my passion for personal growth and my work. Both are integrated!

Wow! Imagine…. what that would be like if some of your passions and your work were integrated? 

  • What is a passion you are discounting that is right in front of your eyes? … that is so obvious you cannot see it.
  • or you discount it because you force yourself to fit the traditional career trajectories you see around you or what you hear is “cool.”
Have you even thought they could become an integral part of your work?Don’t let your environment influence you!
It is not because you cannot see it around you, that it does not exist or it is not possible.Whatever it is, I’d love to hear! Please feel free to comment on this post!I have your back.

Isabelle

P.S. Don’t ask what is “sexy” for others, ask what is “sexy” for you. and go and do that!
“Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman

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