Should I Quit My Job To Pursue My Passion?

Question: My career differs from the line of my passion (and life’s assignment). I have lost motivation for my career and would like to focus on my assignment. How do I go about this?

I got this question and I believe you’ll learn from my answer/take on it.

Here’s my response:

I stopped working February 2016, after I was falsely accused of something at my office and was being punished for it.

I started Lifegiva as a blog January 2013 (read more about it here). By this time, Lifegiva had grown to have Lifegiva Store, which was making small small change :D. The impact of the blog and our social media platforms was already vivid with growing possibilities.

I told myself, “If I face this full time, the result and impact will be unimaginable.” So I didn’t bother looking for any other job. I focused on Lifegiva squarely. And I learnt a very hard lesson.

Living/being alive is not cheap. As I like to put it: Oxygen is not free.

Here’s what many people need to learn: except you have a sponsor, you need to earn a living. Being alive is not cheap, so in order to stay alive you need money.

And we all can agree that oftentimes our assignments or also referred to as passion projects, they bring in little or no money to make a living. At least at the starting phase of pursuing that project.

Here is my advice: define the purpose of your 9-5 and your passion project.

This is what I mean: except your assignment or side hustle is at the place of meeting your financial need or you have a sponsor, hold on to your job, or get another job you’re happier with that serves the main purpose of providing a means of livelihood.

Clarify and differentiate what purpose your job and passion serve in your life, even if it’s temporary.

Can your assignment be monetized? If yes, awesome.

Is it at the stage where it’s worth being your sole means of income? If yes, awesome.

If no, then it may be unwise to leave your career to pursue your assignment. Instead, you can earn from your career to invest in your assignment. As amazing as a passion project is, funding can hinder its actualization or expansion.  However, having a financial structure in place can save you or your project from the blows of financial lack.

I’ll advise you to have a plan; keep investing in your passion till it is a self-sufficient entity that can employ you, and employ the essential services it needs to run.

Once your passion/passion project/side hustle can employ you, you will most likely have no doubt about quitting your job to pursue your passion. It will be more like a change of career path, because your passion is well-structured and self-sufficient enough to be a career path.

Now for those asking, “Does it mean I can’t make a career off the assignment/passion project?” That will be a discussion for another newsletter.

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Love,
Tolulope.

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