Last week, Jill Banks, our Director of Career Services, wrote asking you to think about your passion and success. We heard from quite a number of you in response to that post.

There were a lot of comments about the challenges of articulating your passion in a way that can guide your efforts and your decisions. One CEO wrote that he quickly identified his passions and he used the phrase, “these are what get me out of bed in the morning.” In reflecting on his comments, we want to ask you to think about the question, “What gets you out of bed in the morning?” This question may give you a direct understanding of your passions but for some of you, it may be more indirect.  For example, some of you get out of bed to make a difference in the world and feel that you can do so in your work. So, when we ask the question “what gets you out of bed in the morning?” you have a pretty direct answer—“to make a difference in the world.” But for some of you, the answer is more along the lines of “I have to work to feed my family,” or “We want to buy a house in the next year,” or “I have to work to be able to do my art,” or “I can’t retire yet, I don’t have the savings.” Those are more indirect clues as to what you are passionate about and how your work serves your passion.

While we always hope that our clients, friends, and family can find work that lets them express their passions, we know that that is not always possible. Sometimes you work in a job because it pays well even if it doesn’t speak to your passions. And the “pays well” part of the equation is tied to your passion if, for example, your passion is to provide for your family so your kids have opportunities that matter to you, or you have found a job that pays the highest compensation for the least amount of time because your true passion is working with homeless families and you need time to do so each week.

There is a lot of pressure these days to find work that brings you meaning and satisfaction and we are all about helping you do that. But, for some people, their workplace is not where they are going to express their passion, nor is it where they are planning to find their meaning and satisfaction.

Take some time today to reflect on what gets you out of bed in the morning and how your work can support you in living that passion.