How to earn money pursuing your passion

By Tamara Rokicki

The traditional nine-to-five job is no longer the only way to earn money.  We live in a time when traditional living is becoming less applicable. Today, having a sustainable job means making a living doing what you love.  People everywhere are discovering that living a full and satisfying life includes doing things that make them happy—hobbies and passions that make them feel alive and well rounded.

Many bloggers, Etsy shop owners, and YouTubers own their passions by creating their own little business empire. The Mind Key Project was founded on the belief that everyone is not only entitled to financial freedom through the pursuit of his or her dreams. We also believe that by denying our talents, passions and dreams, we sell ourselves short of our purpose in living.

But how can you make money pursuing your passions?

Turning your passion into a financially successful career takes a lot of dedication and many sacrifices along the way. Photo by Charla Dury

A passionate career: The foundation of a sustainable job

Commitment

In her article, How to pursue your dream without going broke, career coach, Gia Ganesh, asks two simple questions:  Are you committed to your passion?  Do you do all it takes to stay at it?  Your commitment and sacrifices establish whether or not you can turn your passion into making a living.

“You don’t have to go broke doing meaningful, exciting, passionate work,” Career coach, Kathy Caprino writes for Forbes. “I haven’t, and thousands of my colleagues doing powerful, passionate work in the world haven’t either. There are many, many examples of people doing fabulous, exciting and impactful work and are making lots of money doing it.”

Strategy

Kathy believes in starting out with a good strategy. That means understanding what will be required of you, your family, and your bank account. Any counsel that promises you a get rich quick result is simply bad advice, she says. Having a well-developed plan includes the advice from knowledgeable people, not from “fake experts,” as she calls them.

Have faith in your worth

Have faith that what you are doing, even if it is in a career that is in service helping others, is worth your financial freedom. Kathy has seen many derail their passion because they feel uncomfortable charging adequately, or at all, for their time.

“It’s almost as if they feel that making money in this area feels wrong or ‘dirty,’ so they cut themselves off at the knees,” Kathy said.

If health and happiness are priceless, then your time helping others achieve wellness is worthy of supporting your health and happiness.  Not accepting this truth leads to exhaustion and resentment, Kathy said. This turns your passion into a burden, rather than a sustainable job.

Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom

Heather Eagar, a former professional resume writer and founder of ResumeLines.com, notes that starting from the bottom and working your way to the top is often the way to go.  Her article, Remaining Financially Stable While Pursuing Your Dream, encourages to start with a lesser version of your dream.  

“If your passion is wildlife photography, but you’re having a hard time selling your pictures to major magazines, you may want to take a more standard photography job that will give you practice, credibility, and a little income,” Heather writes. “You can still try to sell your photos on the side until you get your big break, but at least you won’t be starving while you wait.”

Mind Key focuses on people pursuing their dreams and aims to help everyone achieve their potential.  For many, it means to see their passion turned into a sustainable job.  That’s where our team of writers, artists, advisors, and Mind Key’s network of professionals can help you take that dream to the next level.