Follow your passion is outdated, Do whatever interests you.

Follow your passion is outdated, Do whatever interests you.

Multiple Interest Good or Bad?

Since childhood we have been asked, what you want to be when you grow up? We were always forced to pursue one profession / interest. But what if I get bored with a particular profession or subject after some time and get interested in other. Is something wrong with me? For a while, I thought I was alone. It seemed like everyone else had it figured out. They all knew the one thing they wanted to do every day for the rest of their lives.Of course, now I realize that isn’t the case. A lot of people struggle with their vast interests and passions wondering which ones to follow through and which ones to let go. I want to tell you that you are not alone. This happens to lot of people and it’s perfectly natural.

I know I may incite a lot of disagreement for saying this: but I believe that it’s completely okay to have multiple passions and to pursue all of them.

The notion that you have to commit to a single trade for life makes sense if you want to live like a robot doing the same thing again and again. But then you’re just filling the role of a machine.

Can you be an expert at multiple things? Or, do you need to do the same thing every day in order to master it?

These questions have been on my mind for a long time, and this idea is constantly discussed. My parents taught me that I needed to choose one profession and do that throughout my life. This was the mind-set that they had grown up with, and they wanted me to be financially stable. They thought that consistency was the key to financial stability.

But as I grew up, I found myself interested in multiple fields. I started cycling and was passionate about that. Then I started a retail store and thought that this is I want to do throughout my life. After some time I got fascinated about roof top farming and started growing vegetables at my roof. Now I am passionate about Lawn Tennis. I am taking all this knowledge which I learned from different interests and using it as I move forward. I am not putting pressure on myself and enjoying whatever I like and got fascinated too.

Many interests = faster growth = becoming smarter

The benefit of having lots of different interests is that you train your brain to learn many new patterns. The patterns you learn in one field can then be applied to totally different fields to solve problems creatively.

Often the people who do the most innovative work are the outsiders who arrive with fresh patterns that the existing experts haven’t been exposed to. This is great because these outsiders can stimulate lots of growth.

You’ll be surprised at how many opportunities there are to use insights you learn in one field to solve problems in a seemingly unrelated field. The long-term benefit of cultivating many different interests is that you build a powerful toolkit of problem-solving patterns. This gives you more flexibility when facing certain challenges. Like Lawn tennis taught me to be positive in life. As you cannot win the game each day, so you need to introspect and come next day with better strategy and belief that you can win. This helped me in real life also to be more positive and even if the things are not going right, keep trying.

Multiple interests are like a  stored potential. Like a dormant seed -- it's waiting to bloom!

Vicious Job cycle :

The entire educational system is based on the premise that you must pick a field and specialize. Expertise, they tell you, is the key to success. If you want to stand out in this vicious job market, you had better be the very best in your specialty.

I would agree with this at some extent, what’s often overlooked — is the value of being “good” in many fields. Yet when it comes to do things out of box or to venture out in unknown fields, being slightly competent at many things will often get you further than specializing.

Follow your heart and trust that the dots will connect

You never know where those odd skills you picked up from a passing interest might come in handy. After all, Apple wouldn’t have the beautiful typography it’s become known for, had Steve Jobs not stuck into one completely random and “impractical” calligraphy class when he was eighteen.

So next time when you got interested in something, do not stop yourself and explore that.

Remember

Many interests = faster growth = becoming smarter

Entrepreneurship Journey - What after Idea !!

Entrepreneurship – What after Idea

Once you found an idea. Many people get stuck what to do next. While idea is a very important step for a start-up but once the idea is muted it’s important to move forward.

Many times we are afraid to take it forward and there are 3 kinds of fears which stop us to take action:

1. Fear of starting   :  The fear of starting can hinder any startup founder from turning a vision into a reality. Entrepreneurs might feel confused and unsure about the first step to take to begin their journey. This uncertainty can lead to a lack of action and thus limited growth.
2. Fear of failing: Another large fear often faced by entrepreneurs is the fear of failure.At every point in an entrepreneur’s life, he or she faces the potential for failure. A major shift in results comes when the entrepreneur no longer runs from the fear of failure but embraces it. When the individual realizes that failure in one form or another is an inevitable part of the learning process, he or she will adopt a new perspective.

Instead of running from failure, the entrepreneur will now embrace failure and apply the lessons learned so as to advance.

3. Fear of evolving   :   Often entrepreneurs grow their company to a certain point and feel comfortable with the position attained. When faced with the idea of expansion, they may shy away, fearful of what might occur if they invest more into their company's growth.

A state of evolution and expansion is one that a entrepreneur lives in at every moment. When faced with the fear of expansion, an individual should take actions to conquer that fear.

Once we conquer the fear we need to learn and understand how to move forward. Entrepreneurship is not always a forward moving game. A soccer game is a great example of learning. Fans of the sport know the most successful teams are not those whose players run forward with the ball every time.

Instead, successful players advance the ball, but upon encountering an obstacle, retreat, seek a lateral position and continue the attack. Success is dependent upon movement and keeping possession of the ball. Sometimes you need to take a step back or sideways to keep moving forward. 

Always remember "Action is better than inaction."  

The following four tips can help entrepreneurs keep taking action and moving toward success

1.     Set goals

Entrepreneurs who know what they want and have set a course are more likely to accomplish their objectives. Goals act as the homing device for an entrepreneurs' actions.

2. Pay for experience and seek mentor

This is truly important. As an entrepreneur we want to think about overnight success but the reality is there are no overnight successes. In order for us to be successful we have to make an investment in ourselves. I cannot emphasize enough that paying for experience, whether it’s training, gaining required skills, or a coach is truly essential.

The best way to achieve success is to work with someone who has already been down the same road. Plenty can go wrong in business but the right mentor can help an entrepreneur navigate the pitfalls and keep moving forward, improving the odds for success.

3.    Let yourself fail

The important part of this journey is the fact that we all must remember that failing is allowed. Not only is it allowed. It’s needed to grow what we are trying to accomplish. "Fail often. Fail fast. Fail forward."  When we fail while trying to take action on what we want to do, we are incrementally moving ourselves forward. Can you imagine if Edison didn’t try those other 9,999 light-bulbs, where would we be today? Entrepreneurs seldom get it right the first time. But having the ability to keep moving by making adjustments improves the odds of success. We really must make sure that we don’t look at failure as a negative. Failure is a course of action that leads us to continued success.

Indeed there is truth to the saying "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

4.    Don't settle

Some entrepreneurs may strike gold the first time out. Others require more time, energy and perhaps the alignment of some planets.Don't become discouraged. Keep moving. Evaluate your business plan and make necessary adjustments based on feedback and results.

Successful entrepreneurs know that success is not always a linear upward progression and understand that obstacles arise. Those who are ultimately successful do not become paralyzed by challenges but instead find a way around them. They don't sit still and keep moving. That’s the only mantra to succeed.