Making the change to a passion driven life is the best thing I could have done for myself. For me I saw financial independence and early retirement as my ticket to being able to live a passion-driven lifestyle. But now that I have had time to decompress from a long career-driven mindset. A career where my job was all-encompassing. I now can see that I should have made this change much earlier. I didn’t need to retire early from what I was doing to get to this place. I could have made the necessary changes to stay on my early retirement strategic plan and still live a passion-driven lifestyle.
Since retiring early and being able to take time off and then pursue only work I was interested in and passionate about doing. I figured out happiness is living my life doing work I wanted to do. For some reason we leave school and fall into the career-driven mindset. Where we pick careers based on the ability to earn the most income instead of a career we would love to do for a living.
The social-norm definition of success is based on money, status and title. Our egos are fully aware of this. I was trapped focusing on career mindset trappings. Working hard to make the most money and climbing to a professional title. All just to be considered successful. I wasn’t considering my happiness, passion or fulfillment.
Work Should Fulfill Us.
While I worked I was headed towards my career goals. I took classes, went to night school and tested my way up from Jr. Tech to Tech. Then over a 12 year period I finally made it to Engineer. I can say there was a sense of pride and I can even say fulfillment. The problem is, shortly after getting to that “success title” of Engineer the job took over my life. It took over to a point where I didn’t feel satisfaction but enslavement. My company’s leadership and the never-ending operational fires could give a rat’s ass about my personal life or happiness. I was a slave who was existing instead of living.
Looking back I can honestly say that becoming an engineer wasn’t what enslaved me. But my allowing it to take over my life and define my identity is what did that. The last 9 years of my career when asked what I did I proudly said I am a Telecom Engineer. But inside I said I hate my job and can’t wait to be free. It truly was all about pride and ego instead of happiness, passion or fulfillment.
Having the Courage to Change to a Passion Driven Life
It is much easier to just stay in a crap job and complain about it. But there comes a point when living daily with nothing but frustration and dread becomes a health issue. I suffered from stress related issues. I am thankful they have not returned since leaving that job. Reflecting back on those days I realize now what I could have done differently. Instead of sticking it out being miserable the last 9 years I was there I should have made some choices and changes to redirect my focus to a passion-driven lifestyle.
Are you stuck in a non-rewarding career? I have a few steps for you to consider to make your move.
Define what it is you like to do and what your passions are.
What makes you happy and feel like you are living a life with purpose. There were aspects of my job that I liked and too many that I did not. Looking at all of my life experiences I can see what things I am passionate about doing. I loved creating new services. I loved developing and teaching formal technical training classes. I disliked being tethered to the operations and being paged for every network or processing fart that occurred. The endless blips and hassles that someone didn’t know what to do with or plain just didn’t want to deal with. But that was what the majority of my career turned into.
Make a plan to change to what you would be passionate about doing.
Now the hard part, detailing the steps and timeline. Can you change your current position to be more aligned with your passions or is it time to find a new job? Looking back I could have stood-up to leadership and said it’s time to share the burden or live with delayed support. I should have stood my ground because I needed to be free from the work far more than I was. Instead I was too career-driven to do anything like that. I worried it would reflect badly on my appraisal or my employment survival in a mismanaged and declining company.
Get your head straight.
First get over any fears, insecurities or any other negative thoughts that would derail your move to a passion-driven life. You have to believe this is what is best for you. Even if it angers those who have come to depend on your work at the cost of your misery. Second do not compare yourself to anyone else and what they do or achieve. This is all about you.
Trying to silence your ego and drop the old notion of success will mess with your mind. This is an internal battle. Stay on plan because this is all for you. I felt some of this even when I retired. I went from hero to zero even though I disliked what I was doing. I thought I had separated myself in preparation for early retirement. But my ego was very reluctant to let it go. It took some concentrated effort to get my head straight. I can imagine if I had successfully scaled back while still there I would have had to deal with these same issues.
Be flexible and realize this won’t be an all or nothing transition.
Be grateful for any improvement and movement towards a passion-driven life. Accept that you can’t always create the perfect passion-driven job. Continue to always identify your passions and strive for continued focus on your path to live instead of just exist.
Since retiring early from being a Telecom Lead-Engineer I took a Wireless Network tech job. Later I began a Consulting position working as a Video Systems Analyst for a Cable Company. All because they checked off some of my passion bucket-list items. They weren’t perfect and there were times of frustration. But they were both a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
I actually enjoyed those adventures because I did them out of passion and interest. I did them on my terms. When I heard that little voice that it was time I retired again.
Live in the moment.
Slow down enough to take-in your life and enjoy yourself. Look at your personal adventure and acknowledge you are blessed. Blessed to have been able to make the change to a passion driven life. I try to do this every day.
In Closing
Life is too short to have to just exist as a slave to your job. Any work and effort to change how you live is totally worth it.
Have you experienced the same kind of work existence? Have you been able to change to a passion driven life?
I think many of us experience what you went through with too closely identifying ourselves based on the title of our job or what we do for a living. Yes, it does have bearing who we are, but we can’t allow our work to be the sole and most important definition of who we are. I especially liked point #4 because when you decide to make changes to your approach to work, it often takes time and you still may not meet all of your checklist.
I think the whole life-work mindset is starting to change and in a big way. When I was in it like I was I only saw one way out and that was continue to slog through it until I could afford to retire out of it. I wonder now how successful I would have been had I taken the route to change my relationship with the position during those long 9 years of dread. The corp attitude there was highly retaliatory. I will never know but it is a life lesson to carry forward and share. Thanks for you comment.
It’s always been a passion of mine to work outside the USA. Really scary trying to organize it, but I’m really excited to be taking steps towards finally (FINALLY) living my dream.
Thanks for the comment Ms.LoL and congrats! I wish you luck in reaching your passion goal. I think getting through the fear is always the battle when we take risks and leave our comfort zones but the rewards to live a passion-driven life are worth going through it all. People said I was crazy when I left my long engineering career and started on my new path which made me start to question myself. I had to rely on all of my preparation to re-enforce my belief that I was doing what is right for me and my future. Once again good luck and go enjoy living life on your terms.
Tommy
I so agree! Life is absolutely too short not to pursue what we’re most passionate about. I totally do not see the point of laboring away at a job that doesn’t fulfill me in order to pay for stuff I don’t need in order to make myself feel better about my job. No thank you! Thanks for this post.
I couldn’t have said that better. There is no point to live like that yet most people still do. I hope more people figure this out. Maybe there would be more peace if they did. Thanks for the comment.
I’m doing what your recommend, Tommy. I’m working in my job and not letting it stress me out. Not working long hours as before, not stressing about the long To Do list. I prioritize and do my best and if they don’t like it, too bad. I used to take on the company’s problems too much myself. I was always a high performer and don’t really see that the cost was worth the benefit. Too many years with no salary increase. I see this as a nice ease into retirement, for which I will likely still work in some capacity, but having the choice will drive some passion in itself!
Hi Debt Debs. Thanks for stopping in to Leisure Freak today. Good for you to be making the changes at your job and how you allow yourself to now take control. You and I are on the same page. I couldn’t see how to do that in my first long career. I learned a lot about the stress level of being the go-getter and how it is not in any way reciprocated by salary or bonus in a 1 to 1 stress/pay ratio. They just simply let you do it and are happy it gets done but soon it is expected as a job condition. I have to say that those lessons are what makes any post-#1 retirement work-adventure that I have taken far more enjoyable and rewarding. I ride my passion for what I am doing and I don’t feel like I have to be a company super-star anymore. Its not about being lazy, or inflexible, its just smartly doing a good-job while creating the life balance that everyone wants and needs.
Thanks for the comment.
Tommy