One of my core beliefs for a long time has been that we should all do what we love. However saying it and making it happen are two different things, aren’t they? My path to doing what I love has been years in the making, and probably will continue to be a lifelong venture as I find new things that capture my interests and passions. (That’s OK with me!)

Why do I believe so wholeheartedly that we should all do what we love? Here are five reasons:

1. We’d anticipate our work rather than dread it

I used to work somewhere where I got paid more money than I’d ever gotten paid before. But honestly, on Sunday night I just dreaded having to go into work the next morning. The money wasn’t worth it! Being at the office dragged me down, it didn’t build me up. Thank goodness it was only a short contract job but the impact of the dread I had going to it was enough to last me a lifetime.

If we create a work life for ourselves that we love, then I think we’ll have the happy result of looking forward to going to work. I never want to have a job that I dread going to ever again.

2. The work wouldn’t seem like work

I have a friend who used to have a job where she would count the minutes as they went by in her day. She literally made little hashmarks on a piece of paper when 15 minutes went by!  She just hated where she worked, there wasn’t enough to do.

Conversely, when we’re doing what we love hours fly by. A common thing that tends to surface when people who love their jobs talk is that they don’t really think of their job as work. Doesn’t that sound like a nicer feeling than watching each minute go by ever so slowly on the clock, waiting for the end of the day?

3. We’d be healthier

It’s pretty fair to say that a lot of chronic stress means a lot of trips to the doctor’s office. This website says that more exposure to chronic stress can mean that health problems worsen over time. I think the longer we spend doing things that don’t give us passion or happiness the more certain it is that this stress will take a serious toll on our bodies, and ultimately the way we are able to live our lives. Let’s not do that!

4. We only get one life

I think most of us can agree that we only get one life to live. How are we going to spend that one life? Are we going to spend it doing things we feel we have to do, doing things that make us sad or angry or sick or bored? No way! For me there is no other option but to do what I love. I don’t even think there are enough years left in my current life to do all that I want to do!

5. We just might make a difference in the world

Do you think that Thomas Edison became one of the most prolific inventors in American history because his supervisor held his nose to the grindstone? Or that perhaps Dr. Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman in space because she was just ‘doing what she had to do’ to bring her paycheque home every night? No. These folks and people like them figure out what it is that they love to do and pour their heart, soul and passion into making it happen for themselves because they want to – and ultimately make the world a better place when they do.

So, are you doing what you love? If not, what do you think you could do with your life in this world if you did?