How exactly do you know what you should be doing with your life? And how do you make money from what you want to do with your life?

We asked a panel of entreprenuers in various fields that question.

Life coach Elizabeth Terry noted, “As an NLP coach and passion test facilitator, you can imagine what my answer to that question would be! I absolutely believe in the power of passion – passion drives and motivates us…keeps us going when we go through rough patches, ensures that the eight to however many hours we spend generating income is spent, as much as possible, aligned with the things that are important to us. Setting goals which are aligned with our values (often these are an indication of our passions) means that our lives become purposeful and we feel productive and engaged…the big bonus is that when we exude the energy of passion, it infects everyone we come into contact with and, ultimately, impacts the bottom line.”

Investment manager, Neilson Rose adds, “Passion is great but your passion might be the area of least skill and therefore least profit, so it’s best to take out the emotion when talking about making money and focus on the bottom line.”

Terry also adds, “In our ‘wheel of life’ there are many aspects to us inclusive of interests/hobbies, family, relationships, health/fitness, career/business – to name a few. And so we should consider the opportunities that the things that we most enjoy doing can afford us. For example, if you enjoy listening to and helping others, developing your skills in life coaching may be a way to ‘monetise’ what you love doing! That’s what I did…and when I make money I am doing what I really enjoy – sharing knowledge and skills my clients can use to transform their lives and be successful! What could be better? Because I know I am helping to empower my clients, I associate monetising my skills with a benefit that the client gets…it’s not about the money itself, but the service that I provide and the value I create!”

Robert Taylor, attorney at law, suggested, “Passion is important but can be an altruistic notion. If we wait for passion we may never truly get into the game. Sometimes you go where the money is and then the passion materialises in some way and becomes a transitionary outcome, as the real passion only comes through self-discovery – and many persons have yet to discover or learn about themselves. A prerequisite to opportunity is obsession. I believe many people have opportunity staring them in the face but if you are not truly obsessed in your pursuit you will remain average or below average, which is not a sustainable disposition for business success. Purpose sometimes, like success, is not a destination. We grow as we mature through life and develop certain skill sets, and so purpose may not be a static notion. The process, I believe, starts with us trying to discuss those things in life that are fun and motivating and that we can do well with little effort.”

For those who require more specific guidance, Terry shares the way forward.

http://www.iaj-online.com/secure/wp-admin/post-new.php