Is your job high-paying and your passion, too?

Can one find a job that is their passion (meaning it’s actually in line with your desires and values – you are not selling your soul or killing your spirit by doing it) and yet high in pay? This question should resonate with so many people who consider themselves misplaced and just doing what they do to survive. Yes, sometimes in an economy like Malawi it can never be easy to strike this balance because your passion job/business may not be readily there. Or sometimes your passion job does not pay that much.

A lot of people, quite frankly, view finding their passionate job as simply luck. The general equation seems to be that following your passions and values could mean low pay and following big monies means ditching your passions to a large extent. But let us face it, a low-paying job but which you enjoy doing can give you ‘peace of mind’ – which many will not really care about in these inflationary times – but not the financial resources to create a strong personal safety net.

But how do you actually find that job which balances between your passion and high pay? Three elements come to mind.

First, when searching for a job, ask yourself what is the purpose of getting the job? Obviously, a big part of the purpose is to get paid – you need money, right? But ask yourself this: Does the job you spend many hours of your life each day actually have a purpose that you find valuable? For example, my writing this column has a purpose – I have somehow been blessed with the opportunity to write about things that actually help people and this stuff is read by thousands upon thousands of people every weekend – and my pay is invaluable satisfaction.

Second, do you have the internal motivation to actually make good on your goals? Self-motivation is a huge ally. To put it in a more tangible sense, think about the career you dream of having – the high-paying, high-passion job that you’ve always wanted. That is your goal. But what are you doing today to get there? If you are not doing anything at all, you’re not actually motivated to get there. If you know what you need to do but keep putting it off, procrastination is keeping you where you are.

Third, is action. It is one thing to know what you need to do to make it happen. It’s another thing entirely to put your foot down and actually do it. The most important step is the first one – and the willingness to follow that step with another one.

Lastly, when do you know you’ve been successful at getting the job you wanted – high paying and your passion? Most of the time, it is not a clear demarcation. The real way to tell if you’re successful comes from inside. You can’t use income or recognition from others as a measure – it comes from you.

Some people feel successful immediately, with only a bit of success. Others never feel successful. The truth, though, is somewhere in the middle – you are successful when you wake up, realise you are happy with what you are doing and what you are getting paid for – and you can’t imagine doing anything else.

Have a blessed weekend as you follow your passions and work your way up to high pay!