I have always heard people say they found peace, relevance, meaning and purpose of their life when they found their passion and I never quite understood that until recently. I can now count myself as one of the blessed to have found his passion. I have also discovered that it is never easy for anyone to be happy at work if they are not passionate about what they are doing. Surely there must be something wrong with anyone doing work they are qualified to do but are not passionate about. Can someone sane spend seven years of their life studying to be a doctor and not be passionate about being a doctor? The answer is YES!

When are you going to live your life and do the things you have been postponing for far too long now?

It is true that to this very day many people choose careers for two reasons: either on the basis of prospects to earn as much money as possible or to satisfy a nagging parent, a teacher or any other social influence that wants you to become the doctor they couldn’t be. Career choice for many is hardly ever on the basis of what they are passionate about. This is largely the reason why the majority of our workforce is made up of labourers – we have skilled or professional labourers and unskilled labourers. For as long as you do not have passion for what you do, you will not excel and you will find it difficult to enjoy.

We have a severe lack of ‘passion practitioners’ – I just invented that term. It is the reason why I find it difficult to understand when corporates say they have a talent management strategy, ‘what talent?’ I ask when all you have is a bunch of professional labourers whose primary concern is getting food on the table in exchange for fulfilling the corporate’s vision! Not actualisation of talent, self or potential!

It would be irresponsible of me to suggest that all of us are born entrepreneurs and that entrepreneurship is the only way you can find your passion. I empathise with many that say for them there is just too much at risk, too much to consider, like; kids at school, the house bond, an almost certain lifestyle and social standing. Leaving all of this to pursue what some people may consider a risk and others an opportunity is not easy and requires thorough deliberation. May I ask you this one question though, when are you going to live your life and do the things you have been postponing for far too long now? You see, it is not true that life is too short; I believe that we only start living it too late.

I guess we need to turn the tide for our future generation. This may be a challenge to both parents and teachers to be observant and to look out for where talent lies in children and nurture it throughout their developmental stages. In certain countries like Germany and Russia, early in the development stages, a child’s energies are channelled to where his talents lie, whether it is in sports, engineering or medicine. So if a child showed potential as a ballet dancer, resources and her energies would be channelled towards making her the best ballet dancer in the world, Rafael Nadal, Tiger Woods, David Beckham and so many others are living their dream and are being paid for it! I guess it is easier for sportsmen and performing artists to make a sound career and living from their inherent talents.

It is not true that life is too short; I believe that we only start living it too late.

In business: being an entrepreneur, what I have discovered is indeed a form of self-expression. Much like music is a form of art that expresses the singer’s creative, vocal and lyrical talents, so too is being an entrepreneur; it is an expression of creativity, innovationv and commercial savvy that gives new meaning to the word passion. The joy of clinching a competitive deal that you prepared for a long time cannot be expressed in words. The freedom of investing your time in those things you deem necessary, which afford you the opportunity to reach your potential and allow you a platform to give meaning to your own life. Yes, sometimes it is difficult! Yes, sometimes you find yourself in a very serious financial position but when you have found your passion, you know you have to sacrifice certain things in its pursuit and desire to bring it to life. It is your passion and thus your conviction that will give you strength and see you through those unfavourable tough times. All you have to do is pay your school fees in the University of Life.

When you have found your passion, you excel, you enjoy what you are doing and money becomes a secondary output of excellence!