What Are You Prepared To Endure?

“Everything sucks some of the time.”
~ Mark Manson

Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.

Whilst I am fully aware of the truth that both of these quotes point to, I think the picture they paint is not a full one and the idea inherent in both has got a little misconstrued by many people.

The idea that once we find and begin to do work we love, our passion, our calling, if you will, then all will be well and everything will magically fall into place is such a dangerous and counterproductive one.

Add to this the countless social media posts out there these days portraying business owners supposedly making big bucks, whilst working on the beach for a tiny amount of time and it’s easy to see why some people begin to believe that building a sustainable business, that brings in good money, working a handful of hours a day should be a breeze.

Well, guess what? It’s not.

Do I believe that it’s important to do work that you feel passionate about, that has meaning for you and others and that leaves you feeling fulfilled and like you’re having an impact? Hell Yes. Do I also believe that once you find and commit to doing this work for the long haul that it will be all rainbows, butterflies and plain sailing from there on out? Erm no. Not at all.

You see everything, even our calling and our greatest passion, has its downside, its struggle and those parts that, simply put, just suck. Nothing is easy and wonderful all the time and being your own boss is no different. As Mark Manson says:

“Everything sucks, some of the time. You just have to decide what sort of suckage you’re willing to deal with. The question is not so much ‘what are you passionate about?’ The real question is ‘what are you passionate enough about that you can endure the most disagreeable aspects of the work?”

In my line of work I come across this a lot, people who want the rewards and benefits of working for themselves and none of the downsides. I always feel bad to be the one to break it to them, but neither life nor business works this way.