How to take what you truly love and make it your foundation

“You do what for a living?” is how a woman I was on a date with responded after I told her that I was a “customer experience specialist.”

You see, my foundation and passion is customer service. It’s not the sexiest of industries or professions, but it allows me to live a life that continuously has me smiling. I willingly wake up at 5am and depending on my schedule I may call it quits at 7pm. In fact, I’m writing this for you at 7:45pm on a Monday while I watch Monday Night Football. When I was a disengaged millennial, I found myself watching the time pass me by and waiting for the day to end. I knew this was not the way I wanted to live my life.

Ask yourself, “What one thing would genuinely get me out of bed at 5am?”

However you responded to that question should be your foundation. Now, am I saying quit your current job or career and pursue one in hair styling? No…not yet.

Before you conclude that your passion isn’t something you can build a business around, I will politely correct you. If your passion is stamp collecting, be the best damn stamp collector in the world. Did you know that the American Philatelic Society has 33,000 members and that the Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Inc. has hosted 1,037 auctions of stamps and covers? Neither did I but after a quick search I was able to find this out. Thank you, Google!

The point I’m trying to make is that no matter how unconventional your passion might be there is a market for it. If there isn’t, this is even better because you can make one. When I first started studying customer service my friends were all becoming lawyers, doctors and other higher profile professions but I knew what I wanted in life and continued to have laser focus to ensure I achieved it.

The first step to springboard from a life of mediocrity to success is understanding what makes you happy. As I mentioned in my first post, I don’t want this series to come across as a kumbaya or rah rah session but it’s true. To be happy with your life you need to find what will get you out of bed before your alarm clock.

Are there days when I want to pull my hair out? Of course! Have there been days when I really had to look in the mirror and question my approach? Absolutely! If either of these things didn’t happen then I would question why it’s been so easy. Nothing worth having is ever easy.

After you have determined what motivates you and makes you happy, you should set a timeline on when you are going to go all in. For example, you can say, “I’m going to leave my current job in 18 months” which will give you plenty of time to plan your strategy and make sure you have money in the bank to support you during the beginning.

Throughout this series, I’m going to help you plan how you can go from realizing your passion and taking action but before we do that, can I hold you accountable?

Again, take a moment and think about what really makes you happy. When you have decided, comment below and let us know why it makes you happy. You may not be one to comment on blog posts often but please make this happen.

Thanks for stopping by. The next post is titled “How to Ask Anyone to be Your Mentor”