Quitting Your Job and Following Your Passions

“It’s never too late to follow your dreams.” We hear that phrase all the time, but is it really true? For some celebrities it is. Tiffany Haddish worked on her standup comedy for years before she made her big splash in the film “Girls Trip,” and Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get real attention until he played “Gator” in “Jungle Fever.” Julia Child was 49 when she published “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in 1961. And finally, Oprah was 32 when her talk show received national syndication.

You can pursue your dreams at any age. But what that looks like can change depending on your own situation. Here are a few of our tips.

  1. Don’t Quit Your Day Job

All great passions start with a hobby. If you can afford to leave your job and strike out on your own as a musician, actor, designer of model planes, baker, Youtuber, or whatever your heart desires, go for it! But if you still need a source of income, there’s nothing wrong with having a day job. A day job ensures you can pay your bills and pursue your passions at the same time.

  1. Figure Out if You Really Want to Do This Full-Time

Keeping that day job can also help you decide if you really want to pursue your passion as a career. Sometimes a creative outlet can be fun as a hobby or side job but incredibly difficult as your main source of income. For example, some creators on websites like Etsy love to make stuffed animals or bracelets and sell them online. But making that their sole income can bring about increased stress and creative burnout.

  1. Make a Plan

Another thing that day job can do? Give you time. Time to plan, time to learn, time to take your dream from a hope to a reality. Breaking your dream into steps can make it much more achievable. For example, if you want to be a full-time singer, that starts with learning how to sing. Then maybe you’ll choose a type of singing to specialize in, then you’ll try to book smaller gigs with friends and family, then small local gigs, and so on and so on, until you’re accepting an award at the Grammys. Start small and you’ll be surprised at what can happen over time.

Pursuing your dreams isn’t limited by age. But dreams aren’t achieved overnight. If you really want to achieve your goals, just know that it’s probably going to take some time. We’re talking years of hard work here, not weeks. We’re rooting for you!

Are you following your passions? How are you doing it? Let us know in the comments section below!

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