My performance is passable and my motivation is mediocre at work. I swear it was my dream job at some point, but I can’t help but feel like it’s become a slog. It makes my family proud and pays the bills comfortably though.
It’s only recently settled in me that laziness isn’t the word for it. I’ve found that I’ll work my ass off for something if I’m genuinely and deeply passionate about it. Like the hobbies that cut into my time for sleep.
This has lead me to frequently daydream about “following my passions” and becoming self-employed instead of sticking with the conventional, safe career I previously envisioned. Living a life that brings me more joy. I’ve fantasized about making and selling gadgets. Perhaps becoming a content creator to promote those gadgets. All the things that bring me joy, but I have little time to do alongside my current job.
But I only have so much saved up and I’m lacking connections with those who have more resources. And in this economy, I don’t know when I’ll have another chance at my current job if I end up realizing that it was better. Will monetizing my hobbies inevitably ruin them? The grass looks greener on the other side, but will I go back to thinking the same once I’m on the other side? Or have you or someone you know pursued a genuine passion, made it a career, and never looked back?
Your job is a job - you’re not really supposed to like it. The inherent problem about making a living is that at some point sooner or later, no matter what job you choose, you are going to have to do things that you don’t want to do. In a hobby, you can just choose not to do any of the tedious things. In a job, that’s what you’re paid to do, that’s what you have to do. Hence the advice: don’t make your hobby into a job.
Now, I’m not saying that you should always be miserable in a job. There’s degrees to this. You can be soul-rending miserable, or just meh, or maybe even something resembling happy. If you genuinely are passionate about your job, that’s kind of a lucky catch and shouldn’t be treated as an expectation for a job.
The way I think about it is that the money that you receive from a job is a compensation for the tedium of that job. You will need to consider this question: the money that you get paid in your current job, do you believe that to be a fair trade for the effort that you put in to that job? If the answer is yes, then I would recommend keeping your hobbies as hobbies, and using your job to pay for those passions.