The Place of Passion in Career Development

People are often advised to pursue their “passion” and make a success of whatever they desire to lay their hands on. Unfortunately, the word “passion” has repeatedly been used to the point that its actual meaning has been lost in translation, literally.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “Passion” as a “strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept." The most interesting aspect of this definition that differentiates “mere wishful thinking” from “the real passion” is that “true passion” involves demonstrating a great deal of “strong liking or devotion” for something.

You may not be required to devote your skills, time, money, and other vital resources to things you do as a hobby or pastime. On the other hand, your “passion” isn’t necessarily your “hobby”; it is your job, career, business idea, or an innovative concept that demands your full attention. So, if you are considering your “career” as your passion, the following steps would be invaluable help to you:

               A Passion for Learning

A great deal of what you are going to do at our workplace or job comes from what you have learnt or are learning. You must develop sincere passion for learning, for acquiring the necessary skills, and maintaining whatever knowledge you may have acquired. Great achievers have a mindset that often repeats that “one is never done learning; there is always new things to learn and use in changing one’s perspectives on issues and lifestyle.”

        Career Development Cycle

Every professional undergoes what is termed “Career Development Cycle”, which is actually the stages it takes to develop one’s career, from the first time you appeared in your office as an entry-level employee to the point of climbing the senior-level positions. At each stage, it is your responsibility to identify the duties accorded to you by virtue of your position, strategize to manage all the challenges the job is posing to you, and come out of the experience better and well-equipped. No one can grow without challenges; in fact, you gain more knowledge by solving one problem after another while carrying out your allotted duties. People (or employees) who are not well prepared for the hiccups that may come their ways while doing their jobs often find themselves failing in their career development cycle.

   5 Principles of Career Development

Psychology today reveals that human beings should live above their emotions. In other words, they should stop letting their emotions get the better part of them and derailing their career development. Most of the factors/principles that drive career development success are enshrined in self-determination theory, which explains that human’s innate tendencies to self-motivate himself/herself (without any external influences) could lead to outstanding performance and personal achievements.

These five principles further support the concept of self-determination theory:

·  Focusing on your career development goals: To start with, you must set a realistic career goal for yourself. What do you expect to have achieved within certain years of working at your company? Your career development goals will become a force that propel to act and work very hard.

· Embracing change: You don’t need a career development coach to understand that the only thing that is constant is change. Every new position you assumed brings a set of issues or challenges you have to deal with. In order to maintain your productivity and contribute meaningfully to your work, you must learn to embrace new ideas and methodologies so that you can do a very good job.

· Concentrating on your career journey: Anything that will take a large part of your life should be considered a journey. You need to focus on every step and detail that emerge while carrying out your duties. Another word or antonym for passion is “dedication”! Learn how to handle all the responsibilities that come your way as a result of your job with zeal and wholeheartedness.

· Understanding yourself, your level of capability: The first thing to pay attention to while working is yourself. It is only who knows your level of capability. If you are placed in a position that may be too demanding for you and cause your productivity to be lowered, it is up to you to reject such roles or duties, of course, with respect. Instead of a doing shoddy job on a large project, it is better to perform greatly in a smaller one.

· Always reaching out to your support network: Human beings need one another to grow and progress, even in a working setting. Build a reliable network of supports around you. Those in your support network could include your helpful superiors at work, colleagues, and of course your friends and family members. Sometimes, your work could exert a great deal of pressure on you, your support network can help you list of the burdens your job has placed on your shoulders.