If you’re the proud owner, creator, or team member of a passion project, this blog post is for you! Passion projects come in countless shapes and sizes. However, there are certain mindset shifts that will help you go far regardless of what yours looks like. So, without further ado, let’s set your passion project up for success!
1- Your passions are worth pushing through failure, rejection, setbacks, disappointment, etc. for.
My post Monthly Mindset Shift: Handling Failure with Confidence details why failure isn’t that deep, but this message becomes that much more important when we apply it to something as meaningful as a passion project. When you weigh the gratification of your desired results up against the discomfort of failure, the former should hold more weight than the latter.
Yes, to quote that post, “Passion toward a desire or goal has a tendency to intensify all our emotions surrounding that desire or goal—both the good and the bad. Every little win feels like we won the lottery, while every little loss feels like a giant punch in the gut.” However, shifting your focus to WHY you keep going should act as a refreshing reset. It’s your “why” that stops you from giving up, even when it feels tempting. No small setback can outweigh the magnitude of why you’re doing this!
2- Your “why” should be rooted in something more than just your finances.
As per my post Monthly Mindset Shift: Finding Purpose Amid Career Uncertainty, “Some people don’t have the intention of turning their passion project into significant financial gain. Others hope to be able to quit their day job to pursue their passion project as a career. Others are somewhere in between and view it as a potential side income. No matter where on that spectrum you fall, the point of a passion project is exactly what it sounds like—to do something you’re passionate about. Even if you have monetary goals surrounding it, it should ideally be something that fulfills you so much that you’d do it for free if that were the only option.”
This quote just about sums it up! While money can certainly play a role in your motivation, the best way for that motivation to stick is to have something deeper as your driving force. Plus, when the driving force is your true passion for this project, with time and dedication, that energy should surely magnetize the right customers/clients for you (if that’s a goal of yours, of course)!
3- It’s ok for your passions to change and evolve over time.
While you likely enter into any passion project with the intention of committing to it indefinitely, that doesn’t have to be how things go if it doesn’t work for you. If somewhere down the line, your heart just isn’t in it anymore, it’s ok to change course. In fact, a passion project should only be worked on by someone who’s passionate about it, hence the name! Of course, let’s not throw in the towel the moment something goes wrong (see point #1). However, if you’ve given it adequate time and still feel disconnected, there’s nothing wrong with moving on. Set yourself free, so that you can explore wherever your heart is leading you!
4- It’s also ok to pursue multiple passions at once.
As a multi-passionate myself, I know that in some cases, asking someone to pick just one passion is like asking them to pick a favorite child. It’s an impossible ask! If one passion project happens to encompass multiple of your passions, that’s great! I can say that about running this blog—it allows me to channel my passions for writing, giving “WOW”, graphic design, content creation, etc. Yet, I still have other passions, like fashion and food, that I channel through different outlets.
Whatever the case may be for you, let yourself have as many passions as your heart desires. You don’t need to spend equal amounts of time on all of them all the time. It’s just a matter of making *enough* time for each one to feel fulfilled. Only you can determine how much time is enough from one passion to the next, but one way or another, you’ll find your groove!
5- How lucky are you to be doing something you love.
For as long as you remain passionate about what you’re working on (whether recreationally, professionally, or anywhere in between), let it fill your heart with gratitude! As per #3, that doesn’t mean your passions have to stay the same throughout your life. However, isn’t it a blessing that we get to be passionate about multiple things over the course of our lives? Whether it’s this passion project or the next one, may it be an asset to you!
The bottom line…
A passion project is meant to enhance your life, just like you’re meant to enhance the lives of those your passion project touches. Go for it wholeheartedly for as long as your whole heart is in it!
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