Do What You Love!

When discussing strategies for maintaining vibrant health, the way we earn our income has a definite effect. Those working in a job they hate with long hours away from family, applied stress from employers, and limited income are bound to live shorter, sicker lives than those who follow their dreams and live a life of passion.

While this sounds really wonderful, the transition from working to survive, to working because it excites you can be very daunting. A survey of company executives reveals that making a difference is a principle motivation for success. The question is, how much do you love your job?

I Make The Transition

Back in 1986 when I attended my first Personal Development weekend I was a successful corporate executive with 140 staff and an $m budget. I was travelling Australia and the world and considered an expert in my field. I was living on a 3 acre property only a 45 minute drive from the office in my BMW. I think to most people this would be a successful person!

That first weekend really woke me up to another side of myself I had not even considered. I realized that what I was doing was not actually what I felt inspired to do, My inner self wanted to spend my time on earth educating others to follow their own passion, and create a more sustainable environment on this wonderful planet we live on. This was such a strong feeling, I acted on it.

Over the next three years I moved back to Sydney, spent 6 months studying further in New York, worked with Native American Shamans, went to Ashrams in India, studied with Tibetan Buddhist Llamas, quit my corporate job, sold the BMW, divorced…yes I changed every aspect of my comfortable life!

At the end of all this I was feeling fantastic. I had a new partner who is still with me, and started teaching what I had learned. This has shifted and evolved over the last few years to where I am now. Along the way I had to go back to work twice for a total of 6 years out of the last 22. It is 7 years since I last worked for someone else, and I am getting into the comfortable position where I am self sustaining.

I realize that a BIG FACTOR in my good health now was my obsession with following my passion. While I keep focusing on this and working towards it, I feel great and I am sure it affects my health in a very positive way. For a long time I wondered if the money would ever come my way. Now it is. I am not doing much different than 20 years ago. Sure I have learned a lot and applied the information. The way I teach has completely changed. My finances have gradually changed inch by inch over that time. I didn’t become an instant millionaire the day the light bulb turned on!

So that being said, how can you determine if you are living a life of passion and doing what you love?

An Exercise To Find Out What You would Love To Do.

Write a list of all the things you like to do. This is a free form process. Don’t leave out anything. You could write, I like to… and fill in the blanks. Keep going until you find you have no more ideas. Now see what repeats. These are likely to be more significant.

Make an inventory of your life. What skills have you learned? What are your important experiences? What changed your life or way of thinking? The more detailed the better. One way to achieve this is to start from the present and weave a story backwards. Stop when you hit a significant moment and explore the details. Write them down.

With these two lists, think about what type of career would incorporate many or all of them. This will give you some real clues to what you would be good at, and what you would like to do.

I know it can take quite some time to reorient yourself to a new way of being, doing what you love and being rewarded financially for it. Once you get there you will wonder why you did things any other way!

John Gaydon has been researching and applying strategies to enhance life in every way for over 30 years. Starting with Colonic Irrigations and fruit and vegetable juicing, he progressed to Breath work and Personal Development training and for 6 years organized major Mind Body Spirit Festivals throughout Australia. John believes in living a life of passion, and at 57 he is following his dream of enhancing the lives of everyone he connects with. John is a very healthy 57 year old, with a 3 year old daughter, takes no pharmaceutical drugs, and lives in Kariong one hour north of Sydney Australia. John can be contacted at john@pems.com.au or 61 2 4340 2711 (02 4340 2711 within Australia). You can Skype using john@pems.com.au