Passion, in terms of your life’s work, is a plural noun.

Passion, in terms of your life’s work, is a plural noun.

When we strive to turn our passion into our career, our life’s work, it’s important to understand that one’s passion can have many faces, and that multiplicity of options generally goes unnoticed. I promise you’ll pay a price for that.

Take a minute and think about the adage, follow your passion.

For most, images representing someone’s passion would fall into a singular vision or expression of that thought such as being a professional athlete, or a teacher, or a computer analyst. Once that image falls into place they begin the journey of working to achieve that goal, a commitment to that singular vision. But here’s the catch.

Having a “singular” vision of what you believe your passion represents not only limits your possibilities, but in a 21st century environment can potentially become counterproductive.

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you’ve decided to follow your heart and become an artist – a painter. Your mental image of what that career decision represents is probably in place. My guess is a relatively stereotyped image.

Here is what I’d see beyond that image:

1) A creator – trained in the art of visual imagery

2) An extremely motivated individual ready to tackle entrepreneurialism

3) An individual with the talent and skills to express a viewpoint

4) One versed in utilizing the power of their imagination

5) A technician in terms of artistic design

6) A master of the creative process

7) An individual that exemplifies a definitiveness of purpose who considers challenges to be an every day part of their routine.

• From a practical standpoint: If you were offering your resume to whoever, for whatever, would you use; a) I’m an Artist – a painter, or b) My interpretation of what an artist/painter represents from the paragraph above which would only enhance your employability?

• From a survival standpoint: How many more employment opportunities beyond just painting might be available to you in different areas of the workforce (with a bit of imagination) exercising all of the personal and professional strengths you own listed in my interpretation? To wit: An artistic designer for websites – a creative coach – running artistic designs for magazines – a private or school teacher – submitting artistic work for an ad agency – becoming an author, writing about your personal talents and philosophy – a columnist speaking on the how to be imaginative or the importance of the arts – running a website as an artistic think-tank and developing products for it – creating a blog page on artistic motivation. Think about it!

• From a creative standpoint: How might your overall skills as “a painter” be enhanced by the enactment of one of the staples of the creative process – utilizing multiple perspectives – which you would gain from extending your employment opportunities?

• From a counterproductive standpoint: By not seizing the obvious advantage of utilizing multiple perspectives in your work above and beyond just painting, you actually limit your growth potential. A singular vision becomes a potential counterproductive move.

• From a self-esteem standpoint: By diversifying your talents, all which still remain under the heading of your passion, you eliminate the inevitable comment after you’ve told someone that you’re an artist and painter – that being – what’s your real job?

Take a very close look at the possibilities of what your passion may actually represent…think Leonardo da Vinci.