by Brooke Faulkner
Each one of us has a passion. Whether it be baking, drawing or gardening, we all have something that we enjoy doing on a regular basis. What if, though, that passion could also make you income?
Not only will that activity bring you joy and rejuvenation, but it could also give you a steady paycheck. This leaves you with more time to do the things that you love, and who doesn’t want more of that? Learn from these amazing individuals on how they turned their passions into careers:
Happy Work = Happy Worker
Before we get into these success stories, let’s talk about the benefits of turning your favorite hobby into your favorite job. Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” If creativity is intelligence having fun, imagine what it would be like when your creative endeavors and career are one in the same.
Not only does participating in creative activities alleviate stress and anxiety, it also improves overall mental health and self-esteem. These kinds of activities can take many forms in the workplace, everything from coordinating teambuilding exercises to organizing volunteer events for the whole office. Here are three inspirational examples of individuals who are already enjoying these and other benefits of doing work that they love.
Backpacking Business Benefits
Steve Silberberg never thought his passion would turn into a career he would love. Backpacking was a big part of Silberberg’s life growing up, but life as a software programmer meant his outdoor excursions became fewer and fewer. After the stress of his career started to become too much, he went back to his favorite activity and found rest and revitalization that he had not experienced in years.
After making his backpacking trips more and more frequent, he realized that he not only felt better physically, but mentally as well. If backpacking could bring peace and purpose into his life, Silberberg realized it could do the same thing for other people as well. That’s when Fitpacking was born, a service that offers backpacking adventure vacations.
Although Silberberg does not make as much income as he did as a software programmer, he wouldn’t trade what he does now for anything else in the world.
Knitting Dolls to Dollars
Angelia Robinson would tell you all about how she turned her hobby into a career. She thought knitting was just something enjoyable to pass the time with, until she submitted a design she created to the widely known crochet book, “Fresh Designs.” When her design got accepted for publication, she knew she had something worth sharing and selling to others.
Robinson got right to work in making designs for toys, clothing, and decor. Selling through publications and online stores, Robinson was making a name for herself. However, not everything came easy to this entrepreneur.
She struggled when it came to the social media and financial aspects of her venture. Like all industrious individuals, though, she persevered. Everyone who’s self-employed needs a website, so Robinson went on to create one and make a brand for herself so that she could be easily identifiable on social media.
Tackling finances proved to be a piece of cake when she found an app that could keep track of all of her expenses and income. This freed even more of Robinson’s time to create patterns that she and others will love.
Making Money “By Candlelight”
Selling your homemade candles to your friends and family is one thing. Having so many orders that you can’t keep up is another. That was the story for Sarah Mullins.
After picking up candle making as a hobby in college, she saw there was a demand for her candles when she started selling them at farmers markets. Mullins knew she smelled something good when it became a struggle to complete orders by her efforts alone. She decided she needed to open a store, but she wouldn’t do it alone.
Owning and operating a business was something Mullins had never done before, and although she did plenty of research on her own, she still needed help from those who had been in her shoes before. Networking with other business owners was essential for Mullins to overcome hurdles and obstacles, leading her to her ultimate success. Mullins also exhibits many of the skills a social entrepreneur employs by partnering with organizations such as like Jacob’s Well and Haiti’s Children’s Hope.
What to Take Away
It’s not enough to be passionate about something to make a career out of it; you need to make sure your passion could be helpful and wanted by other people. It is also very important that you have a website and a social media presence. If nobody can find you, then nobody will know what kind of awesome product or service you provide.
Managing your finances is crucial as well. You should also look into networking with other professionals when you’re given the chance.
More than anything, let these stories inspire you to follow your passions. It doesn’t have to be anything of the examples above – even people who work in an office can find creative inspiration in unexpected places like organizing an office volunteer day — . You never know what the future holds. One day you could make a career out of what you love too.
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