The other day, I was listening to a Blinkist summary of a self-development book, and there was one line that hit me right in the gut: “You can’t hate your way into a life that you love.”

That line stuck with me because, wow—it’s so true. How often do we find ourselves grinding away at something we don’t love, telling ourselves that it’s necessary, that it’s what we “should” be doing? But at the end of the day, can we ever truly build a life we love if we’re filling it with things we hate?

It made me reflect on how important it is to do what you love. More than that, it validated something I’ve been thinking for a long time: if we focus our energy on things that light us up, things that fill us with passion and purpose, then that’s where true fulfillment lies.

The Million-Dollar Question: How Do We Do What We Love and Make Money From It?

But here’s the tricky part—how do we balance doing what we love with the practicalities of life? How can we take our passions, our creative work, and find ways to make money from them so we can sustain ourselves and our lifestyles? Because at the end of the day, we all have bills to pay, responsibilities to handle, and dreams to fund.

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? How do we create a life where our passion fuels our income?

I think it starts with identifying the things that truly spark joy for us. What do we love doing so much that we’d happily spend hours on it without feeling drained? Once we identify that, the next step is figuring out how to monetize it—whether it’s through sharing your craft, teaching others, building a community, or creating products that reflect your passion.

My Example:

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Shifting Our Mindsets

But another key part of this is shifting our mindsets. If we’re constantly telling ourselves that what we love isn’t profitable, or that pursuing our passion is a “hobby” and not something we can make a living from, then we’re setting ourselves up for failure before we even begin. We can’t hate our way into a life we love, and we certainly can’t build a fulfilling life if we’re constantly doubting the value of what we love.

Instead, we need to focus our energy on believing in ourselves and our potential. We need to be open to learning how to turn what we love into something that not only sustains us emotionally but financially as well. It’s about getting creative and finding ways to blend passion with profit, without losing the spark that makes it so meaningful to us.

Venn Diagram

The Venn diagram is an awesome tool that helped me to visualize how I can incorporate what I already do and what I have a passion for. I figured that instead of giving up the security from what I have built over the years, I could overlap it with my passion. In diagram above you can see the overlap between my interests in helping others, writing/teaching, and my career in logistics management. Here’s what each section represents:

• Helping Others (Left circle): This includes mentoring, supporting others, or being a guiding presence in personal or professional settings.
• Writing/Teaching (Top circle): This includes connecting with others through writing and sharing knowledge or experiences, whether formally or informally.
• Logistics Management (Right circle): This represents your current career as a senior manager in logistics.

Overlapping Sections:

• Helping Others + Writing/Teaching: This represents how you can help others through writing and teaching, for example, mentoring through written materials, courses, or public speaking.
• Helping Others + Logistics Management: This reflects the ability to help people within your management role, whether it’s mentoring staff, fostering a supportive environment, or leading teams with a people-first approach.
• Writing/Teaching + Logistics Management: This represents using writing and teaching skills in a structured environment, like teaching others in your field or creating educational content for logistics management.
• Helping Others + Writing/Teaching + Logistics Management (Center): This is the sweet spot where all your passions meet. It represents helping others through a combination of writing, teaching, and your role in logistics, such as developing leadership materials, creating training programs for your team, or sharing your management insights through writing.

Living a Life We Love

At the end of the day, building a life you love requires intention. It requires asking yourself the tough questions: Am I doing what I love? Am I finding ways to align my passion with my financial goals?

We all deserve to live lives that don’t just pay the bills but also feed our souls. It’s a journey, and while the answers aren’t always clear, the question is worth asking: How can I do what I love and sustain my life at the same time?

It’s something I’m still figuring out for myself, but every time I focus on doing what I love, I feel like I’m one step closer to the answer.