is following your passion important?

Published: Mon, 01/27/14

Hi ,

One of my favorite things that Jade says is, "Your passion is the ultimate time management tool." Meaning, that if we love something, we will put the time in and do it, no matter what.

Another saying you might have heard of is "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." In other words, when your job is your love, it doesn't ever feel like work.

I remember when I was a freshman in college and an upperclassman RA was giving our hallway of girls a talk on how to stay healthy in college. She said, "Hi, I'm Rayna and I'm an Exercise Science major." When I heard that, it was lightbulbs for me. I felt like the luckiest person on earth--you mean I can actually study fitness?? AMAZING.

And so began my now-14 year career in the fitness industry. It's been crazy at times (doing "the fitness hustle" working 80 hours a week), amazingly fulfilling (first competition, fitness modeling, launching Best of You) and tough in instances when I was struggling for how to make money doing what I loved. There's no rule book for following your passion. You just go where the momentum forces you and figure it out along the way. Aaaaaah!

Because following our passion can be scary, right? What if I end up broke? What if people judge me? Think I'm crazy? Or what if no one likes my stuff? Entrepreneurship is risky business! 

And for some people, they will feel comfortable with the associated risks, and for others, not so much. There's no judgment either way, because we ultimately need to do what we can live with. 
 
But is passion important? Even if we're not doing it as a career?
 
I think so.
 
Why? Because when we're passionate, not only can we generate personal fulfillment and happiness, but we can use our passion to help others. 
 
So how would you do that? 
 
Lots of ways. For example, say you have a message you want to get out into the world? Something you think people need to hear. Start a blog or post on your Facebook page or use images on your Instagram feed. You don't ever have to monetize it, but it'll fulfill you to carve out that small piece of creativity for yourself and in the process, readers and followers can learn from you insights and experience.
 
Or, what if you're passionate about the environment or education? Could you find a way to educate others about it, or volunteer your time to make an impact? Doing what we love energizes us, and that energy is felt by others in a big way.
 
When we are acting in accordance with what we love, it's effortless. We are in a "flow" state. And it feels amazing.
 
I remember having an initial call with one of my JillFit Ambassadors, Maryalice Goldsmith, certified trainer and creator of the 12-Week Look Great, Feel Great, Radiate system. She had created this vision for helping women in a step-wise process that systematically took each woman through the process of learning about their own bodies, learning about their own mind and then finally finding a sustainable way to combine the two. 
 
Listening to her explain the program to me instantly brought me back to my 18 year-old self, declaring my Exercise Science major. BAM! Done! Maryalice's passion for her message was infectious. She has an incredible story of her own health and fat loss transformation and when you talk to her about it, her eyes light up. It's contagious!
 
And to me, there's nothing better than someone's eyes lighting up while pursuing their passion :) 
 
Maryalice's Radiate system is open for registration for the next 6 days only and I wanted to make sure you got the chance to check it out. She's only taking a small amount of women for this exclusive program because the amount of attention and guidance you get is through the roof. It's a true mind, body, spirit approach.
 

 
Finally, I'd love for you to respond to this email, and tell me the #1 THING that gets you fired up! When you think about doing what you love (whether as a career or not), what is it?? 
 
I wanna hear from you!

Ox, Jill