The Discover Your Passion Class
How do you discover your passion and figure out what work you actually love to do? How does that process work out? When entering the freelance space, we often aren’t clear on what niche to pursue. In this episode, Craig debunks myths around following your passion and shares valuable insights to help you start the process of cultivating skills and passions that will lead you to work you’ll enjoy.
Podcast Outline:
[0:54] Introduction to the topic of passion – how some people know what they want to do, while others are unsure.
[1:52] Debunking some myths around the idea of discovering work that you’d love to do
[3:34] Discussion Question – True or False: “Follow your passion and you’ll find the work you love?” Craig unpacks this and shares some interesting examples of how passion relates to skill sets.
[8:03] The Tale of Two Bookkeepers – an example of how other conditions can make you passionate about a specific niche.
Three Things that Determine Whether You’re Going to Enjoy the Work You Do
[10:34] #1 The Type of Work – how learning new skills can give you a sense of whether you’ll enjoy a particular niche
[11:08] #2 The Autonomy of Your Work – the factors that lead to you feeling an affinity for what you do.
[11:27] #3 The Conditions of the Work – how the choices you make and the environment you create can affect your enjoyment of the work.
Three Conclusions Related to Work Passions
[12:03] #1 Career or Work Passions are Rare – how Steve Jobs cultivated his passion over time.
[13:13] #2 Passions Take Time to Develop – how a cultivation process must take place before you can figure out whether you enjoy a niche.
[13:54] #3 Passions are a Side Effect of Mastery – how you start to love a niche as you become more skilled, competent and experienced in it.
[14:38] A discussion of the book Drive by Daniel Pink – three motivating factors that we need to have in our work in order to enjoy what we’re doing.
Three Traits that Define Great Work that You Can Love
[16:03] #1 Creativity – how this can open up the opportunity for you to love what you do.
[16:21] #2 Impact – how having an impact on your clients’ lives enhances your enjoyment of the work.
[16:55] #3 Control – how this relates to having freedom in your work.
[17:20] Last Takeaways – some encouraging advice to help you as you seek your passion and niche.
[18:25] How Freelance University can help you explore and cultivate skills that lead to cultivating passions
Resources and tools discussed in this episode:
Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
Drive by Daniel Pink
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