Before I share why it is impossible to raise your standard of
living working a job, let me lay some groundwork. Think about
this. Everything in nature has been endowed with what it needs
to survive. There is no living thing that isn't inherently
equipped with the skills and abilities it needs to secure its
continued existence. Whether through instinct, size, camouflage
or speed, no gazelle, lion or giraffe has to go to trade school
to learn how to survive. That’s the beauty of the divine plan.
We, as humans, are part of this plan and each one of us is given
something that sets us apart from everyone else; something
that we can use to ensure our own survival. In fact, before
industrialization sent hoards of us to the cities to work on
assembly lines in factories, we all used something we did or
owned to exchange for the things we couldn't do or didn't own.
Experts say that before the Industrial Revolution, 80% of us
where entrepreneurs.
Unfortunately, because we now live in a capitalistic society,
we rarely have a chance to be rewarded for the extraordinary
potential we bring to the universe. Instead, we are rewarded
for the lowest common denominator--something we share with just
about everybody else--that is, our time and our presence. Think
about it. On a job, you're paid simply for showing up for a
certain number of hours to do a job which somebody else could
probably do just as easily; It's this replaceability that
ensures that big business—which competes on price—can stay in
business. If people were compensated based on the real value
of their "talents" big business couldn't survive.
So even if he or she wanted to, no employer can or will ever
pay you what you're worth. It would violate the basic laws of
business and everything would crash.
So how do you raise your standard of living while working a job?
First, it's necessary to understand that the only way to make
more money in a capitalistic society is to sell more, or charge
more. So, since what you're selling are your hours, you can work
more hours (obviously there's a limit to this), or you can beg
for a raise every year, or go on a constant quest for the next
higher paying position that will pay you more for those same
hours. Many people make this constant effort to improve their
lives, but find that conditions invariably stay the same. That's
because the only way to effectively raise your standard of
living is to leverage your talents, your gifts, your interests
and your hobbies to create a product or service that you can
sell to increasing numbers of people and free yourself from the
cycle of trading time for money. In other words, you need to
turn your passion into profit!
By taking this bold step, you’ll join the ranks of a unique
group of people I call “Passionpreneurs.”
Passionpreneurs are men and women of every age, ethnic group,
educational background, profession and religion. They include
housewives, inventors and artists. They are a diverse group of
people from every corner of the globe. However, Passionpreneurs
do share one common trait: they’ve all found something they
enjoy doing and have decided to keep doing it.
More significantly, not only do Passionpreneurs enjoy what they
do, they get paid to do it! They’ve found the hidden value in
their talents, interests or pastimes, offer that value to the
world in the form of unique products and services, and do so for
profit. In other words, they’ve created businesses that allow
them to make money doing what they love. As a result, many have
walked away from frustrating jobs to live what I call a Passion
-Centered lifestyle. They set their own schedules and control
their time. They live according to their own personal value
system rather than someone else’s. Furthermore, Passionpreneurs
experience the joy, empowerment and unique satisfaction of being
compensated for being who they choose to be, honoring what they
believe in, and doing something they feel divinely called to do.
So why should you become a passionpreneur? I can think of no
greater case one can make than simply happiness.
But I can hear you asking, "How can I discover my passion?" But
before you answer that question, there is an even more important
first step you must take; and that is you need to find your
purpose. It is one of four major steps/questions that you need
to have clear before you can successfully turn your passion
into profit. The four steps, in order, are PURPOSE, PASSION,
PRODUCT & PROFIT. (On my website, I offer additional insights
into the other steps.)
The key question associated with step one is: "Why am I here?"
Unless you first align yourself and your life with your purpose,
any pursuit of passion will be fruitless because it will not be
providing the fulfillment you need to feel completely valuable.
There's a test you can take to discover your purpose. But even
without taking the test, ask yourself which of the following
four words resonates with you: CREATOR, SAVIOR, GURU or GUIDE.
Are you here as an artist/creative type? Are you here to
heal/fix/save people? Are you here to teach/instruct? Or are
you here to guide/lead others en masse to a new way of life?
So even before you ask yourself "what's my passion?" knowing
your purpose will help you move in the right direction as you
seek to create a business around it. For more on the process,
visit: http://www.passionprofit.com
|
