Can you afford to follow your passion?

January 02, 2012 at 9:14 PM

A lot has been written about the concept of following one's passion. It's an ideal I suspect many of us would like to embrace during those moments when we are thinking and dreaming about a life plan.

Find something you love, work at it and success and riches will follow. or so the theory goes.

But what if you are not actually that good at it? The audition stage during X factor shows us many examples of people who are passionate about singing but are never going to make a living from it.,.

What if there is no market demand for your services?

My personal opinion is that , if you want to succeed financially, it is too great a risk to blindly follow your passion unless you have a private income or some other means of support.

A more sensible way of considering things might be to look at what the market needs and see where that interfaces with the natural talents and interest that you have.This is what is known as the entrepreneurial sweet spot.

It's a very fine but important distinction to think about. If predictions are right and we are in for a tough 12 months, keeping focused on where you can add value is the way to succeed, whether employed, self employed or contracting.

Having worked with thousands of people making career changes I have been surprised at how blind we all can be about what it is we actually do well and what our clients find value from.

It is always interesting to do a mini audit and ask people around you that you trust for feedback on what they think you are naturally good at. Ask clients why they prefer to use you. Ask your colleagues what is the one thing they value most in you as a team member. You may be surprised at the answers.

We are in an era of individual capitalism . A time when due to the internet most knowledge is out there for the taking and when knowledge workers are becoming less valued than those who can take action and add value with their knowledge.

This year in your career, determine your own sweet spot. Begin to differentiate yourself by first checking what your market finds of value and taking regular massive action to deliver it.

Remember ACTION and RESULTS. In the new economy knowledge or superior process are no longer enough.