By Books Writer Denise Turney

Do you want to turn your passion into a career? You could do it, but you’ll need more than desire to pull it off. This article covers several ways you might be able to turn your passion into a rewarding career, one that pays all your bills and more.

Yet, let’s pause.

Before you take steps to work your passion, take a healthy dose of truth serum. It’s been said that doing what you love protects you from ever having to “really” work. Although this sounds good, simply doing what you love is generally not (if ever) enough to earn a full-time income.

Get to the Heart of Your Passion Career

Therefore, before you spend money on what you’re passionate about, ask yourself a few questions. First, ask yourself if you’re serious about this goal, not mildly so but intensely serious. Here are other important questions to ask yourself:

• How much time are you willing to invest in your goal?
• What have you used your passion to create so far?
• On a scale of 0-10, how much do you love working in your passion for 5 or more hours a day?
• Are you looking to work a full-time schedule in this career or are you hoping to strike it rich quickly so you don’t have to work?
• Is the motivation to turn passion into a full-time career rooted in the wish to run away from something (i.e., a demanding manager, difficult colleague)?
• Did someone you admire earn a full-time income working in their passion field and you’re now trying to emulate that person?
• In what ways have you exercised courage, resilience and persistence?
• Do you know someone who presently works in your passion field? Have you spoken with them, getting the details on what’s involved in achieving success in the field?

Work Goal Specifics

Passion is one of the hot emotions. The internal mental temperature is turned way up with passion, so much that it’s easy to slip into delusion once you start zoning in on what you love to do. To increase your chances of fulfilling your goal and to avoid deluding yourself, take your time answering the above questions. Really think about them. Go slow pondering your answers.

After you’re certain that you’re ready to move forward, it’s time to focus on resources. The specifics of your goal have a direct impact on required resources. For example, if you want to be a freelance writer, a graphics designer, a career coach, a virtual assistant or a customer service representative, a reliable computer, certain certifications, a printer and dependable Internet access could be sufficient.

Passion Career Resources

Other passions require more resources. So, to begin, identify how your passion aligns with careers that interest you. This will help reveal needed resources. As a tip, consider turning to reputable research material to understand what’s generally used in the career you want to enter. An example of this research material is the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If you plan to work your passion from home, there are basic resources you’ll need. Included among these basic resources are:

• A work desk and chair (get a desk and chair that fit your height)
• Computer and printer (as previously shared)
• Light source that promotes good eyesight
• Sit-stand desk if you want to avoid sitting for hours a day
• Filing cabinet
• Shredder (especially if you work with confidential information)
• Office supplies (i.e., copy paper, envelopes, postage stamps)
• Licenses and certifications (these are required for certain roles)

Money as a Primary Career Resource

Money is often a primary resource needed to operate a business, whether you’re a solopreneur or whether you work at home or in an office. This raises an important point. Even if you generate significant income from your passion early-on, you’ll likely need startup finances to turn your passion into a consistent revenue generating gig.

Where will those startup finances come from? Below are several places where you could find funds:

• Savings account
• Income gained from a second job
• Rental income you get on a second property
• Bonus check from work
• By paying off a recurring bill (i.e., car note, cable bill) and using that money to fund the startup
• Selling a vehicle you no longer use

Now that you’ve identified a career that aligns with your passions, gotten clear about needed resources and pinpointed where your startup finances are, it’s time to discover what you’ll need to start generating revenue. For instance, do you need to land paying clients, develop a product, register or patent a product or find a platform to start selling products and services on?

Way to Generate Revenue from Passion Career

Below are some ways you could start to generate revenue. Do your homework and research each option until you select the option that works best for what you’ll be doing.

• Attend networking events and develop relationships with prospects, eventually bringing them on as paying clients
• Set up mall pop-up booths and showcase your products and/or services
• Register to attend conferences and conventions, distributing business cards, flyers, product catalogs, etc. Regularly follow-up with the right contacts you make at these events.
• Build a website to sell your products and services on
• Offer a free giveaway to customers to buy one or more of your primary products
• Start a subscription service that has a direct link to your products or services
• Participate in affiliate sales programs
• Provide paid advertising for other companies on your website and social media accounts
• Run a sale to attract buyers
• Sell products on large, established sites like Amazon, Walmart and Target

Marketing and Promotion Tools

Generating ongoing revenue may take effort. Marketing and promoting are like friends when it comes to generating sustainable revenue. Here are platforms and marketing and promotion tools that might prove effective:

• Large online platforms like Walmart, Target and Amazon.com
• RangeMe (if you sell products in military stores)
• Social media (choose the platform that best attracts your products or services’ target audience)
• Press release distributors
• Ads in local newspapers (again media outlets that attract your target audience)
• Radio stations (think – target audience)
• Reputable product and service review sites
• Direct mail (i.e., postcards, flyers, effectively written letters)
• Festivals, conventions, conferences, etc.
• Public speaking opportunities

Ways to Care for Yourself While Growing Your Career

This next tip might surprise you. Just as it takes action, focus, intent and yes – passion – to find a way to turn your passion into a full-time career, it takes rest, awareness and self-care to keep that passion alive and strong. Definitely, avoid slipping into workaholism or basing your value on how hard or how long you work. Incorporating these and other relaxation and self-awareness techniques into your day could ensure you rest, relax and recharge regularly:

• Get sufficient deep sleep each night
• Sit still for 5 to 10 minutes in the morning and again for 5 to 10 minutes at night
• Read one to three positive quotes a day
• Exercise outdoors for 45 minutes to an hour a day
• Talk with a friend or relative several times a week
• Do three things you enjoy every day (i.e., listen to music you love, soak in a warm bubble bath)
• Treat yourself to a day at the spa
• Read books you love
• Go swimming
• Relax on the porch on weekends
• Turn off technology (i.e., tablets, laptops) two hours before you head to bed
• Avoid eating heavy meals four hours before heading to bed
• Count your blessings
• Practice awareness and take breaks when you feel
• Seek support as needed
• Pray
• Meditate
• Be flexible and open minded
• Eat a healthy diet

Sustaining Passion as a Career

Fantasizing and daydreaming about what you want to do is easy. Doing what you love is also easy. Turning passion into a sustainable, full-time career is another story.

There will be twists and turns. Surprises, starts, stops, successes and market and industry shifts. Each of these (and more) will be part of your journey, especially if you work your passion for a decade or longer. Long term success depends on your commitment to your career.

Similar to how rest, self-awareness and self-care can keep you from slipping into workaholism which can, in turn, guard you from burnout and overwhelm, celebrating your successes fuels your ongoing efforts. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend money to acknowledge and celebrate your forward steps.

Celebrate Successes Linking Your Passion and Career

Playing music that you love and dancing to your heart’s delight as you focus on a recent success is one way to celebrate. Treating yourself to a delicious home-cooked meal, an afternoon at the theater or an outdoor bike ride are other ways to acknowledge and celebrate what you have done. You could also send yourself flowers or buy yourself a small gift, something that will last and remind you of the achievement.

In addition to celebrating successes, keep learning. Take online courses, attend webinars, go to conferences and offline seminars. Read books that focus on your career. Network with people who share your passion to learn about new product development, marketing, promotion, etc. resources and growth opportunities.