Overview

Wouldn’t you like to earn your living by doing what you really want to do with your life? Wouldn’t you
be happier if – instead of needing to go to work every day just to make enough money to live – going
to work every day was part of achieving your dreams in life? In every job, there’s likely to be a mixture
of tasks you enjoy doing and tasks you do not. It is important to find jobs where a high proportion of
your time is spent doing the type of work you actually enjoy.

How to align your passions in life with your sources of income?

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to find ways to make pursuing your genuine passions
part of your everyday working life. After all, the average person will spend approximately one-third of
his or her life at work – roughly 100,000 hours. Given the significant relationship between job
satisfaction and both physical and mental health, finding a highly satisfying job is important to your
overall well-being and longevity.

Helpful tips on how to align your passions in life with your sources of income:

1. Find a good reason for waking up every day (besides just the alarm clock going off)
Japanese philosophers use the term “ikigai” – a term that loosely translates to “why you wake up
each morning.” Achieving the ideal ikigai is about aligning your values, beliefs, and how you spend
your days with your interests in life – synchronizing your everyday work with the reasons why you
wake up every morning.

The overall goal of working at a job is to generate income to live the lifestyle you want now, while also
planning for a comfortable future. But work can be much more than just making the money you need.
Your work can be rewarding and enjoyable. Rather than just being about making money and having
financial security, work can also be about pursuing – and achieving – your life dreams.

2. Be true to yourself and take time to find your passion:

How can you go about aligning your passion in life with what you do for a living? Well, a good first
step is to clearly identify what your passions in life are. Some people already know what kind of work
they really love doing, the kind of work that gives them feelings of satisfaction and happiness.
However, others don’t have such a clear idea about their passions and have never really taken time to
clearly identify what their “dream job” would look like.

Ask yourself what am I naturally good at? – or, what are my main skills? We all have skills and talents
of one sort or another; either things we just seem to have a knack for, or things at which we’ve
developed skills over the years – be it making music, fixing cars, or working on computer software.
What are those things for you? What do I enjoy doing in my spare time? What are my hobbies? Asking
that question can give you a quick insight into the things that you’re good at, and the things you really
enjoy working on. What are my main interests in life? The answer to this question is usually revealed
in the things you like learning more about, reading about, or exploring.

3. Find careers that match your interests:

Once you’ve got a good handle on what your main interests are, a wise next step is to find out what
occupations can offer you the opportunity to earn a living doing what you’re interested in doing.
When you’re clear about the things that make you feel passionate, you can focus on building skills
centered around those passions. Learning, developing, or expanding skills in those areas will put you
in an increasingly better position to land your dream job. For example, if your dream job is being a
financial analyst with an investment bank, you can consider taking courses online to sharpen your
skills at financial modeling and analysis.

Also think about things like your ideal work schedule or work environment. Do you enjoy working in
an office with a team of other people? Maybe you prefer the increasingly popular option of
telecommuting, for example, working at home on your computer and sending your work output to
the office online.

Is there a particular geographical location for work that would be part of creating your ideal life? No
matter what type of work you want to do, there are likely opportunities to do it just about anywhere.
So, for example, if living in London or New York – or “out west” in the mountains or by the beach – is
part of your life dreams, then start looking for work opportunities in the region where you want to
live.

4. Become a lifelong learner. Invest in your continuing education:

Explore educational options that align with your budget, timeline, passions, and financial goals.
If you desire to gain income opportunities and reach a state of financial wellness, pursuing education
can assist in those goals. Adopting the philosophy of lifelong learning and investing time into your
ongoing education will give you a competitive edge over others who are following employment or
entrepreneurship paths similar to yours.

Today employment opportunities have become increasingly competitive. In our global economy,
more than 80% of the world’s 7 billion people live on less than $10 per day and are probably willing to
work for a fraction of the amount you need to earn in order to pay your day-to-day expenses. And this
global competition will be expanding significantly over the next few decades. Many studies suggest
that more than a quarter of the current jobs employing people today will be handled by technology in
the near future. These significant increases in competition and automation mean you need to
continually improve and expand your skill sets to avoid long-term unemployment.

The great thing about living in today’s age is that we have many options for getting an education.
Whether you attend college, go to specialized workshops, read, take part in certification courses,
enroll in trade school, watch educational YouTube videos, or just stay committed to learning daily – all
these forms of education can increase the number of opportunities available to you.

The first step in planning your educational journey is to reflect on things you enjoy doing and identify
your strengths. Carefully think through income opportunities that represent work you would also
enjoy. Remember, you will be investing your money and energy into your chosen path, so take time to
really consider how you can be fulfilled both personally and financially.

Once you have some ideas about the careers or entrepreneurial opportunities that are most
appealing to you, look into the education requirements for entering your chosen field. Gain a better
understanding about the time and money investment required to gain the skills you need to earn
enough income to meet your financial and lifestyle goals. This process may be simple for some
people; but for most of us it will take research, planning, and thoughtful introspection.

It’s important to make a commitment to being a lifelong learner. Otherwise you may miss out on ideal
opportunities. No longer can you just graduate from college or earn a certificate and never have to
learn again. Technology is advancing at faster rates than ever before, and you must continually invest
in developing and fine-tuning the skill sets that will help you earn money in your chosen field.

5. Do Research:

Think Through the Day-to-day Life

Think through the day-to-day life of someone in your position of interest. There are many people who
like the idea of a certain career and spend years in school working toward that goal, only to realize
they don’t like the daily tasks involved once they land the job. Take time to talk to people in the
profession now, go on informational interviews (in person, online, over the phone), and connect with
people via LinkedIn. Talk to people and understand what tasks they perform during a typical work
day.
Research Job Descriptions

A great way to determine the skills and education you need to find your ideal employment
opportunity is to research job descriptions in the field that interests you. Gain a better understanding
of what you can learn by reviewing ads for employment opportunities. Here are a few websites to get
you started Visit Monster.com, Visit GlassDoor.com or Visit Indeed.com

Research the Average Income Potential

Research the income associated with your desired career or entrepreneurial endeavor. How much
income do you need to meet your lifestyle goals, both now and in the future? Would your potential
income allow you to afford your lifestyle goals? You can research potential income based on your
abilities at or Visit Payscale.com. Visit Salary.com

Compare Costs of Schooling Options to Income Potential

Compare the different schooling options to determine what you can afford now and which education
option provides the greatest long-term benefits. Think through the available employment
opportunities with each option and find the solution that aligns with your financial and career goals.

I hope you feel motivated to align your passion with your sources of income now. Life is too short to
spend 100,000 hours pursuing something that is not rewarding for yourself, it is a long term goal to be
worked everyday.

The next question is how much would my goals cost?

Conclusion
An increasingly globalized economy and technological advances are rapidly changing the outlook of
employment opportunities, both now and into the future. To remain competitive in this evolving
career landscape, lifelong learning has become a must. This topic has presented an overview of
options for identifying a career path that aligns with your strengths, interests, and passions, and
determining the education and skills you need to pursue that path. If you conduct some solid research
now to understand the income potential, skill requirements, day-to-day tasks, and company cultures
involved in your preferred job or entrepreneurial endeavor, you can begin preparing yourself to enter
a career that fulfills your financial and lifestyle goals.