The Importance of Chasing Your Passion Instead of Money

When I was approaching high school graduation, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or what I wanted my future to look like. All I had to go off of when I was trying to decide which college I wanted to go to was a limited variety of career paths that my family wanted me to pursue.

I remember my grandmother encouraging me to Google a list of careers with the highest salaries from pretty early in my childhood. She essentially wanted me to pick one from the list and follow whatever path that was.

A lot of the careers that made the list were in the medical field, so I figured that was where I’d end up. Come my first semester of college, I took what was probably one of the most basic classes I would have to take in order to become a nurse. I tragically failed every assignment.

Up to this point, I had always been a pretty good student, and a decent test taker and things came pretty easily to me. Going to school and doing well wasn’t something that I had to truly put effort into, so imagine my surprise when I continued to fail even when I studied.

I toughed it out for the entire semester until my ability to withdraw from the class without having it negatively affect my transcript disappeared. I distinctly remember leaving my job on my lunch house, racing to my campus, and hunting down my professor, just to have him sign my withdrawal form.

There was a part of me that was really frustrated with the fact that I just couldn’t seem to grasp the information that I needed to know. As I said before, I never really had to try in high school, and all of a sudden, during my first semester in college, I was already failing something.

It took me a long time to get out of the mindset that I wasn’t smart enough to be a nurse, but eventually, once I got that withdrawal form signed, which was on the last day of classes, mind you, I realized that I didn’t do well because I didn’t care. Of course, I cared about my grades, as I have for my entire life, but once the curriculum became something more customizable, I think I subconsciously decided to not put my all into things that don’t speak to me.

I took a few creative writing classes after that semester and fell in love with them. Creative writing classes came even easier to me than my classes in high school if you can imagine that. The work didn’t feel like work in these classes, and I genuinely looked forward to submitting my work and getting feedback from my peers and my professors on a regular basis.

I decided to finally pay attention to the enjoyment that I felt when I took these classes and admit to myself that my heart was in my writing.

Here’s where the self-doubt comes in.

I convinced myself that I wouldn’t be able to make enough money with my writing to live comfortably, regardless of a degree. I wish I would’ve been able to pinpoint exactly where I got the idea that there’s no money in writing, but if I had to guess, it would be the countless jokes and resources that state how hard it is to make a living with writing.

This doubt led to me declaring myself as a business major and a creative writing minor. I absolutely despise my major, but I told myself that if I were to fall flat on my face with my writing, I could use my business degree to get a job.

There have been several points lately where I’ve thought about switching my major to creative writing like I should’ve done in the first place, but I’m so close to graduating that switching would only postpone the date that I can finally throw myself into my writing more than I am currently.

Let me be honest, my writing hasn’t carried me to the point of being able to live off of it yet, but I’m progressively making more money with my writing every day and that subtle change is enough for me. I recently wrote a piece for another one of my classes where I stated that even if my writing were to fail, I’m not sure I would ever be able to stop because it’s a part of me.

I got into writing a long time ago, but it was a secret hobby of mine. I decided that I wanted to be able to move people with my words like so many words had done to me before. I still stand by that desire, and I love when someone comments that my writing made them feel some kind of emotion. It’s euphoric.

Putting all of my efforts into my hobby and my passion has not only allowed me to better my skill and navigate my way through what works and what doesn’t, but it has also allowed me to receive more feedback on my writing. Having the ability to learn more about something that means the world to you while also continuing to do that very same thing is empowering.

I wish I could go back and rid myself of the self-doubt that I was feeling, but since I can’t, the best I can do is put my all into it right now. One of the best things about having a passion is that it will carry you for as long and as far as you’re passionate about it. For those who have an unlimited amount of passion, chase what you love. At the end of the day, nothing promises happiness or longevity, especially not money. If you make chasing your passion a priority, the money will find you, and you’ll be more than happy to do the work.

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Check out: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/money-vs-passion

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