Timing Your Passioneering Leap

Posted in Business Coaching. Written by Sue Oliver on May 3rd, 2009

So what’s the perfect timing to leap fully into your passions? After interviewing nearly 100 bold, talented individuals who made the leap (aka “Passioneers”), I have the definitive answer: “It all depends”. Some Passioneers transformed their passion into a full-time venture over several years, while others make the leap in one fell swoop (e.g., after being laid off of their full-time job). Still other Passioneers have so many passions that they don’t want to fully commit to only one!

Below are 5 tips for timing your leap, based upon 5 months of research and 25 years of common sense:

1. There’s NEVER a Perfect Time, So Just Do It! If you’re waiting for the moons to align and the prosperity gods to agree, then you may as well turn in your Passioneers climbing harness and go home right now. THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME, and once you finally get that, you’ll get over yourself and move forward. So, whatever your passion, simply take ONE step forward NOW! Yes, right now.  Even if you commit to spending one-hour a week exploring your passions, that’s an awesome start! Baby steps, one at a time. Examples? Research what you love on the internet for an hour. Conduct an info interview with an expert who’s doing what you love. Or write down the benefits of unleashing your passions.
2. Eliminate “Either/Or” Thinking. Many individuals believe that they have to wait until they can spend 60+ hours a week expressing their passions before they should make the leap. That they must sacrifice everything else to pursue their passions. NOT SO! For some ridiculous reason, an entrepreneurial myth of rugged individualism and self-sacrifice has perpetuated over the years. It’s time to STOP the insanity now.  What if…you could continue to earn a living in your current dead-end job AND move close to your dream life each week? What if being a successful entrepreneur requires LESS than 40 hours a week (witness the Ferris’ book, The 4-Hour Work Week.) Even one hour a week being and doing what you love moves you closer to your dream (via baby steps). Through many baby steps, you can make HUGE progress without even realizing it. What does this require? Patience and persistence.  Neither was Rome built in one day, nor was a car eaten by Dick Miller in one sitting.  Ask me about this later. 
3. Don’t Leave Your Day Job (at least not right away). Transitioning into your passions full-time, OVER time, is a great idea. Many Passioneers gather the skills and experience they need to make the leap, while being employed in a full-time job that’s not really their passion. Well guess what? Whatever full-time job you’ve had so far is providing you with the PERFECT skills and experience for what’s next.  Every Passioneer I’ve interviewed confessed that they couldn’t have created their dream profession without having had their prior jobs, which brought them just the right insights, skills and experience.  Don’t believe me? Call me in 5 years and we’ll compare notes.  The next time you want to complain about your current job, think again!
4. Feel the Fear and Keep Moving Anway. It’s inevitable. There will be days and even weeks, when your knees are shaking and you have no idea why you decided to pursue your passions. Maybe you have a fear of failure, a fear of success, or even a fear of not deserving to shine in your passions. Who cares? The definition of courage? To feel the fear and do it anyway. Get moving!
5. Learn to Live Within a Budget AND Prosper. Most Passioneers I’ve interviewed have noted that their prosperity quotient (PQ) rose significantly after making the leap into their passions. A PQ considers much more than your annual net income, including your happiness, health, and overall satisifaction: Being your own boss, making your own schedule, spending more time with family and friends, etc., etc. Without exception, Passioneers who made the leap from high-paying jobs indicated that they now have a higher PQ then before they made the leap…and absolutely NO regrets in making the leap.

So, in one sentence: Just DO it now, even if it’s slowly by taking baby steps, by being smart, courageous, and by having a clear idea of prosperity. Good luck and happy Passioneering!