Live your life, reconnect with your passion, now!

One of my friends, Diane, was fond of sewing and embroidery. As a student, she would create beautiful pieces and hold auctions every month. A couple of years later, she got an amazing job as a finance analyst, and with that her love for embroidery declined. A sad sight, as her work had symbolised the idealistic young woman she was with dreams of starting her own garment business.

Unfortunately, Diane isn’t alone. Once we enter our professional lives, we tend to lose out on the company of friends and family – and ourselves – in the process. We become workaholics and don’t have the time for personal enjoyments.

However, as human beings, we need a healthy work-life balance to live a financially and emotionally stimulating life. Here’s how you can become a pro at balancing your work and passion –

Rediscover your passion

As life goes on, you’re inclined to prioritise your work over everything else. You work on your laptop, but you’ve stopped writing poems and stories. Or, you like to stroll about in your garden, but it’s not as well-cared-for as it was before. The only time you have for cooking is regular mealtimes – you’ve lost the passion to try out new dishes.

The solution? This weekend, put your work aside and work on your passion. Rediscover the thrill of writing your first diary entry after years or creating that master dish you have always wanted to.

Make a to-do list

Of course, maintaining a balance between work and passion is easier said than done. The best way to get things done is to create a to-do list, and prioritise your tasks accordingly. Make it a point to get something done from the list every day, such as throwing a fun dinner party for your extended family. Or, try writing a poem every night – it could be about your everyday life or your dreams, or even your loved ones. All it takes is some time to bring out your creative side once again.

Try, try and try again

If you’ve been anything like Diane, chances are that you haven’t touched your DSLR camera in years. You’ve spent several years perfecting those shots in the forests, rivers and on the streets. Now that you’ve held your camera after a long time, it’s natural that you need some time to get back into action again. Don’t be too hard on yourself, or jump to the conclusion that you’re not the ace photographer that you used to be. Instead, keep practising every weekend and hone your craft even further. Nurture the passion that was buried deep within you all these years, and reconnect with it.

Take your dreams a step further

Now that you have found your love outside of work, you need to develop it further. Why not make your passion a business? There are shortcomings in every industry in the world, so connect the dots together and bring a solution to those problems. Don’t worry about getting things wrong in the beginning; we grow only when we learn. However, realise the issues that come with it and plan to make your business a successful venture.

There is no perfect moment – just go for it

Stop postponing your dreams for the next month, or year. Sometimes, we end up doing things just because it’s trending or we have a training degree in the same. However, life is too short to be catering to the whims of others. Once you’ve found your passion – just delve into the technicalities of setting up a business, finding a co-founder and building your brand. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, but learn from them – they will bring you success when it’s the right time.

Thankfully, Diane has now learnt to balance a healthy work-life balance. She has set up her own garment business with the help of like-minded friends, and it’s been running well since the last couple of years. The lesson to learn? There’s always time for the things that are important to us – we just have to plan our lives better. Maintain a healthy balance between your work and passion, and build your life around that – you’ll be happier and more contented with your life than ever before.