Business, Personal Life, or Both?

Do you work to just make money? Is your personal life different than your business life? Silly questions?

Most of us work jobs just to make some money and live comfortably. Maybe we have an interest in that work - but sometimes we just put up with it so that we can keep making money. We fit a role to make money, we clock out, and then it's time to unwind and do what we want - until the next day when we have to go back. The weekend comes and goes - Monday comes and the cycle continues. Too many times in my life I've had to put on my business face and push through a job that I didn't like just to provide some money - eventually I just wore out because it just didn't agree with me.

I wasn't being myself in my previous jobs because the role of my job required me to put on a persona, so to speak, of being who I wasn't. To explain - I didn't really find fulfillment in the work, however, no one wants to work with an uninspired, unenthusiastic employee, so I worked to be an agreeable, tolerant person. Eventually, inner me wanted to be out - wanted to be genuine.

Our personal life and real selves should be apart of our work. That's how you get people to connect with you on a personal level and on a business level because the rapport is genuine. We should all persue what we're passionate about. It doesn't mean were going to be less professional or sloppy in what we do. If you love and care for something, you're going to want to do it well.

We're all created with our own unique talents. Can we fulfill those when were working for someone else or meeting other's requirements? It's possible, if you believe in your company and what it produces. However, I just couldn't find satisfaction being plugged into the system, so to speak. I needed the freedom to make a direct impact on my own.

Being a freelance photographer and clothing designer is as exciting as it is scary. I directly benefit from the work I do. I sometimes work 14 hours to get stuff done, but I don't feel exhausted in the same way that I did when I only used to teach English for 5 hours a day. I feel motivated because I know what I want to do and I believe in the results.

The scary part is that you take a risk. What if it doesn't work? What if I can't pay my bills? These are legitimate concerns. What scares me more is, "What if I live my whole life in fear and never do what I really want to do?" When I think of the second question, motivation kicks in. I'm going to do everything I can to make it work. There's always a way and God always provides.

If I need to make money badly, I can always get a job teaching English again. The excitement of doing what I love outweighs the fear of failing. There's opportunities everywhere you look to support yourself. You can always make ends meet if you need to. You can always take up a part time job. I've had to put a hold on saving money for now. Does that suck? Yes, but no - if I put it in persective. I have the opportunity to work hard to make way more money than I did when I was teaching English. Hard times come and hard times go. In the end, the life you live is what's most important.

Go do what you love and take a risk. If it doesn't work out, well - at least you tried. There's satisfaction in that alone. However, I believe that God takes care of you. He gave you the talents you have. Why would He give you unique talents that you couldn't survive with? He doesn't. He didn't give you talents so you can put them under the carpet and secretly dream while your at your desk. They're there for a reason. Move forward and people will pick up on passion and energy more than anything. You'll be successful - you just have to take that chance :)