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Mid-Career Transformation Case Study 2 – Follow Your Passion

“Do what you love and success will follow. Passion is the fuel behind a successful career”

This quote from Meg Whitman who served as a President and CEO at HP enterprise describes the importance of following your passions and dreams. Most of the successful people have followed their passions and made a great contribution to the world. Steve Jobs, driven by his belief that people with passion can achieve great heights kept focusing on his work and finally build what is today known as Apple Inc. Mark Zuckerberg had also worked tirelessly towards a sole aim of using technology to bring people together. It has been his passion towards this objective that kept him going despite failures.

Following your passion can be very rewarding as you do what you love throughout your lives. Below are a few reasons why it is important to pursue your passion.

  • If you do something that you are really passionate about, you will try your best to excel at it. No matter how hard you try, you will not be great at things that you do not like to do.
  • Once you start your career, pressures of 9 to 5 job set in. You get immersed in your work and at times it will be very stressful. You are more likely to burn-out in a job you do not love. But when you pursue your passion, work feel less strenuous. You will enjoy what you are doing and even if it is hard work it does not feel like it.
  • Last but not the least, it will make you much happier. You will be fulfilled and not feel that you are missing something in your life.

Most of the times we don’t pursue our passion because we don’t want to move out of our comfort zone. At times, we are not sure if we would be able to achieve success in the careers we create out of our passions. We have doubts about our abilities and slowly we lose sight of our goals. Our mind is filled with uncertainties – Is pursuing our passions worth the effort and would it lead to success? Would leaving my current job and pursuing something just because I love doing it, a right decision? Would I be able to meet the expectation that I have with myself and keep the trust my family has on me? Am I capable enough?

This Case study would answer some of these questions. This case study revolves around Sushant who was passionate about conducting healing workshops but was not sure if he should leave his current job to pursue his passion.

Situation: Sushant worked as a Project Manager for an IT MNC in Pune. He had 17 years of experience in the industry. Sushant was doing well at his company but was unsure if he has taken the right career path in his life. On weekends, he had been conducting healing workshops and loved doing it.

Problem: Outwardly, Sushant had a great career going for him. Everyone around him, including his family was happy with his high-paying corporate job. But, Sushant was not enjoying his work in the IT MNC for many reasons. He felt he was missing something in life. He really enjoyed conducting healing workshops and wanted to pursue it as a career. He was in a dilemma if he should leave his high-paying job and pursue his passion as a full-time profession.

Impact on his life/career: Over the years Sushant became frustrated about his career situation. He was not sure if leaving his job for something that he is passionate about is the right decision or not. He also had no idea on how he can start in this new field and achieve his goals. On the other side, his family was not very supportive of him initially and did not want him to leave his corporate job. This added to the complexity of the situation and increased his frustration further. And, there were also questions about, how things will work out financially which led to a lot of anxiety.

Need: While going through the feelings of frustration, confusion and unhappiness Sushant felt a strong need to find the right direction at this juncture. He wanted help of a Career Transition Coach who could guide him through this transition, help him tackle various challenges and help him create a road map for his future.

How Coaching helped: To be successful in life, it is important to have a vision and grit to move towards these goals with determination. Working with Sushant, I took the below approach to make him aware of what he wants in his life and clarity about his priorities.

  • It is important to understand the goals that drive us and where do we see ourselves in the future. First we worked together on defining Sushant’s goals clearly and setting priorities.
  • Once the goals were identified, we worked on identifying the roadblocks that were coming in the way of progress. Predominately, the roadblocks were on the belief and habits levels. Lack of confidence and anxiety about how the new profession will shape up and if he will be able to succeed were Sushant’s main concerns.
  • As a coach, I took a deep inquiry approach while working with Sushant on his self-limiting beliefs. Shared with him a few powerful reflection exercises which made him aware of his own thought patterns that were dis-empowering him. After these deep dive conversations and reflections, Sushant was able to get over his self-limiting beliefs.

What insights Sushant got and what new actions he took: Sushant got clarity on his goals and got an insight into the reasons for his in-action which was more to do with his own beliefs- His lack of confidence in himself. We also used Unique tools like “Benefits basket”, 6 daily questions to bring clarity to his goals and build self-confidence in Sushant’s mind.

Results: Coaching sessions helped Sushant to understand the root cause of his dilemma. His belief in himself and his abilities increased tremendously. He could see where his future lies and he became more organized. Sushant’s confidence increased manifold and he was ready to take on all the challenges of life.

In Sushant’s own words: “Surely, I recommend Hemant. 100%, Because of the result I got from coaching. I came to know the root cause of the issue and I am clearer on my goals now.”

Summary:

It is important to understand that it is our beliefs and habits that are the reasons for our actions and emotions that we display outwardly.  When Sushant understood these habits and beliefs and where his true passion lies, he was able to decide what was best for him.

If we are passionate about the work we are doing, we are more likely to succeed both professionally and financially.  When we love what we are doing, we have more vigour, we work harder, we look for solutions diligently when difficult situations arise, we become more creative, and we inspire everyone around us.

Way to happy and successful life begins when we start living our dreams and stop living our fears. The path to success will be much more enjoyable if we do what we love on the way.

Don’t miss out on the endless opportunities that are waiting for you. Take Action Now!

Reinvent your Career. Redesign your Life.

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