Having a passion (or multiple passions) outside of one’s career is essential to leading a balanced young professional lifestyle. A healthy passion, whether music, art, sports, poetry and everything in between, provides a needed outlet from our hectic lives, a source of happiness and even a means to improve our social and professional lives. If you don’t have one, here’s why you should…
Changes Your Mood
Engaging or indulging in your passion will stimulate feelings of happiness and fullfillness, shifting you right out of that bad mood or otherwise negative state. Being passionate brings out your best energy from the core of your being. It is virtually impossible to be doing something you are passionate about while in a negative state. Perhaps you begin annoyed, irritated or sad, but once you get into it those feelings can disappear. Passion connects at the level of your heart and soul. Its stress-relieving capabilities also have the power to better your mood and energy.
Makes You More Attractive
Individual passions are intriguing to others and fellow YPs don’t tend to gravitate toward others who live limited, narrow lives. People without passions are seen as one-dimensional, uninteresting and not taking advantage of the richness and vitality of life. Passionate people resonate an energy that others naturally are drawn to as they become infected by your enthusiasm.
Inspires Personal Growth
Passion has a motivational quality in that, once the typical YP is passionate about something, he or she wants to submerge him or herself in it, exploring all that they can about it. In attempting to connect with your passion at this deeper level, you are improving yourself, as you are self-motivated to acquire more knowledge, insights and information.
Improves Your Work/Life Balance
Indulging in your passion on your free time makes your non-work time more enriched and of higher quality as it makes you come alive and increases your levels of enthusiasm and happiness. Even during the confines of the work day, some passions may be intertwined to make the work day better – like a lunchtime yoga class or listening to your favourite band on the walk to work on your iPod. Ideally, every young professional should have something he or she is passionate about that has no direct ties to their chosen profession, though many accompanying benefits. Engaging in a passion outside of your career can provide that much-needed outlet and dose of energy to get you through the week.
Can Facilitate Social and Professional Networking
While a passion need not be related to your career, it can provide career-related benefits, like a round of golf, tennis match or concert with clients. Furthermore, if your passion is social, it facilitates a natural and unforced means of both social and professional networking, in an environment conducive to meeting like-minded individuals.