How to do what you love and get paid for it

I’ve heard it said that if you do what you love or what you’re passionate about, the money will follow. And I think that even though the origin of that phrase came from a place of urging us to be more passionate about following our heart instead of the money, we sometimes misinterpret it.

I recently attended a coaching session which focused on the Hedgehog Concept. The concept is represented in the shape of three circles intersecting at the midpoint.

One represents what you’re deeply passionate about, the second what you are good at and the third what people can pay for, or how to monetize. I find that sometimes this last one tends to be the one thing we do not spend enough time on especially when looking at business ideas.

Passion and excellence

For a period in my life, I did something that I was good at and that I was paid well for but I never leapt out of bed with excitement about. And even though I was able to excel for a couple of years, it got to a point when I literally felt underwhelmed.

I have heard of many such stories from people who I know personally and who I have read. Boredom and a lack of zest for life are the ways that people describe this situation. Yes, the reality is that bills have to be paid and food has to be put on the table. On the converse doing what you are passionate about without any buyers will leave you poor faster than you can say pay check.

So, given that we cannot all design our own roles and execute them, how do we incorporate all these three into our businesses or work life?

Feel good elements

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In every role, there are tasks that bore us and that make us feel uninspired. The key is to find ways of incorporating and capitalizing on those that excite us and spending time honing our skills in those areas.

This requires a consistent effort in understanding which elements of what we do get us into a state of flow. Once we do that, we are more likely to feel like we were made for the role.