- Have you met people who are always disgruntled at their workplace?
- People who never look forward to go to their jobs?
- People who always complain about their circumstances and their boss
- People who can’t wait for 5pm to leave the office
Well I’ve met many of them, and I’m sure you have too. I have also been a victim of the same, not once not twice. Most people in the job market are working to get money.
I bet 99% of the workforce labor works to get money. Money is the determining factor. Money is the principal, that’s why more often than not, when people hear of a job opening, the next question people ask is how much is the pay?
We look out for our own material interest which is money. We have become slaves to the dollar that we opt to forego most of our lifetime, forego our passions, forego our talents and pursue another man’s business just to make enough to pay bills and live a descent life.
I mean, life was not meant to be that boring. We may fool ourselves with the occasional holidays to Mombasa via air or even Dubai but if you do not like your work, you are dying everyday. That’s a slow natural death, you spend most of the time complaining and slowly your attitude eats up your health, and the company you work for pays your medical bills as your frequent visits to the hospital increase.
You take your kids to great private schools, your friends and neighbors talk of how much of a happy family you have and how much successful you are but who is fooling who?
Are you happy where you are is the question? You pride in driving that big German machine everyday, but still, you do not like where you spend 80% of your time.
If you were to be bed ridden; your position would be quickly replaced by another employee. Yet you pledge allegiance to your employer; it’s not them that’s the problem, it’s a choice you’ve made to enslave your life to the job you do not enjoy at all.
Well I am not trying to make you quit that job, but really, we all ought to search deep within and ask ourselves some questions about how we spend almost half of our lives.
I have always advocated for passion among youngsters, always provoking questions like:-
- What does your heart want?
- what is your greatest desire?
- What is your purpose on this earth?
- What difference can you make in society
- What is your passion?
- What is it that you freely enjoy doing?
- What are you good at, naturally?
- What do you Excel in?
I believe these are some of the questions we ought to ask ourselves when choosing a career path. Most of us, are enslaved to careers we do not enjoy. Just because you were called for BCom finance does not mean that you do not follow your passion.
Look at Nameless the musician, he’s an architect by profession, but still followed and pursued his passion Music. Look at what music has done for him, were it not for him following his passion, we would have never heard of him?
Talk of Nelson Mandela, he had a law degree from London, he spent 24 years in prison for something he believed in. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary, and brought liberation to the South Africans. His passion led him to be the father of the great nation. Passion. A burning Passion.
Passion is when you come alive to something that you truly believe in, love and value. Something you could talk about at 10.00pm on Saturday and not get bored of. It is something you do not mind doing even if you were not to be paid.
It brings joy to your heart when you follow your passion. Remember happiness is temporary while Joy is long lived. When you follow your passion you not only come alive but you’ll always be in element. Passion gives one satisfaction.
Have you seen how music bands are always in the zone when playing their instruments and singing to their tunes. That’s passion. So is a story given about taking a fish in competition with monkeys on a tree, to see who is the fastest. Of course the fish would never beat the monkeys in climbing the tree but take the monkeys to the water.
There is a scripture in the Holy Book, that says your talents/gifting will make you dine with Kings. That means that we all have seeds planted within us. Seeds of greatness, seeds of passion, and seeds of purpose. Passion about something and a purpose to achieve something that you are destined to do on this earth.
I was listening to Dr. Myles Monroe, and he asked where the richest place on the earth is. Some said it is in the Diamond mines in South Africa? Some said it is New York,due to the GDP and others Abu Dhabi,due to the rich oil fields in the land. But shockingly, his response to the question is that the richest place on the earth is TheGraveyard.
The graveyard is where people take untapped potential, unwritten music, unwritten books, houses went unconstructed, ideas went to the grave, businesses ideas died with them, solutions to societal problems died with them. The graveyard is full of untapped potential. May we not die with untapped potential. That’s why when Jesus died at 33, it was not about how old he was, but His mission on this earth was finished.
Don’t die everyday with a job you don’t enjoy, Only if it draws you closer to your vision, or is in line with your passion.
Ask yourself the questions above and follow your passion, and when all is said and done; when you die, you can proudly look back and say that your cup of potential has run dry as you have given your all to the world.
The above thoughts have been inspired by (A New Dawn In Education) ANDIE SUMMIT 2017 , led by Titus Ngatia Thumbi CEO- Effortless Insights Limited, whose main purpose is Passion, Purpose and Profits.
First published by KamMat.
