Do What You Love And Love What You Do; That's The Only Way To Succeed

Lindsay Shaffer

Freelance Writer, Artist, Photographer

Are you waking up each day looking for that perfect thing, activity, or job that will make your life work? Or, maybe you are looking for that perfect relationship. Once you “get” this new thing, you are sure that you will be happy forever. In reality, life doesn’t work like that. In fact, we would get bored if it did! There is likely no one thing, experience, or activity that will keep you feeling passionate and engaged all the time. What’s important is staying connected to what you love and continuing to grow in the process.

Most People Already Know Their Passion

So many people walk around in life “looking for” their passion. They look for it as if passion is some mysterious thing that is difficult to find and runs away once you find it. Yet, the problem is rarely lack of passion. Most of us already know what we love to do. We know what excites us, even if we haven’t done it for years. Instead, we focus on what we think we “must” do. For example, maybe you love building model cars or painting pet portraits. Yet, each day you work a completely unrelated job and make no time for the activity you already know you love. The truth is you probably don’t need to find your passion, you just need to start doing what you already know you love.[1]

No Activity Is Exciting All the Time

Even people who are living their dream lifestyle or working their dream job don’t usually love it all the time. Every job or lifestyle has parts of it that we won’t like.[2] Let’s say your dream is to become an actress, and you succeed. You may not enjoy the process of auditioning and facing rejection. You may experience moments of boredom when you practice your lines over and over again. But the overall experience is totally worth it. Most of life is like that. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by demanding that life be perfect all the time.

Doing What You Love May Not Be Easy

Living a life you love is unlikely to be easy. If it was, you would not grow very much as a person. And, if you think about a great book or movie or story, the growth of the main character is what matters most. What if the challenges you meet along your path to living a life you love were designed to make you grow as a person? You may actually start looking forward to challenges instead of dreading them. An easy life is hardly ever a compelling story.

Choose Your Priorities Wisely

Many people claim they want to do something, yet they don’t do it. The truth is they might not really want to do it in the first place.[3] We all end up following through on what matters most to us. We make decisions moment by moment about what we need to focus on. What we choose to do is what we deem most important in our lives. If there is something you claim you want to do but you don’t do it, try asking yourself how much you want it. Are there other things you want more? Be honest with yourself: what you currently do each day is a reflection of your priorities. Recognize that you can change your priorities at any time.

If you love what you do, each day becomes a joyful adventure. If you don’t love what you do, life feels like a chore. The best way to achieve success is to design a life you love and live it every day.