05/13/2024 by Kori Burkholder

Career Paths: Chasing Passion vs Fascination

Beyond the Expected: How 6 Women Turned Fascination into Thriving Careers

Inspiring stories of women who followed their curiosity and created unique, fulfilling career paths. (From tech writer to travel blogger, and more!)

In this post, we'll explore an alternative to the traditional "find your passion" mantra. We'll also delve into real-life stories of people who have combined their skills, passions, and even a healthy dose of fascination to create careers they love.

Intrigued? Click below to discover how you can ditch the one-size-fits-all approach and design a career path that's as unique and exciting as you are!

Have you ever felt stuck chasing a dream job that doesn't seem to exist? Are you torn between following your "passion" and the reality of paying the bills? There's good news: you might be approaching your career from the wrong angle.

The "Find Your Passion" Mantra: Rethinking the Approach

Many of us have heard the advice: find your passion and pursue it relentlessly. But what if there's another path?

Jerry Seinfeld, in a recent commencement speech, challenged this notion. He suggested focusing on what fascinates you, working hard, and finding what truly interests you. While I agree with the importance of hard work and following your curiosity, I also believe passion can be a powerful motivator.

The Key Takeaway: Embrace Both Curiosity and Passion

The key takeaway? There's no single right path. Both passion and fascination can lead you to a fulfilling career aligned with your values.

Real-Life Examples: How Curiosity Creates Thriving Careers

Here's a recent experience that perfectly exemplifies this. I co-hosted a press retreat at Sparkle on the Rocks, a stunning Vermont farmhouse transformed into an art installation, Airbnb, and event space. We invited seven talented women journalists to experience Sparkle on the Rocks firsthand, hoping to spark articles about this unique space.

These journalists and the visionary behind Sparkle on the Rocks showcased how diverse paths can lead to success. Let's meet a few of them:

The Curious Globetrotter: This tech writer by day transforms into a travel blogger by night. Fueled by a passion for exploring new destinations, she pours her heart into Enjoy Travel Life, a blog dedicated to helping empty nesters embrace a travel lifestyle. She leverages her writing skills (honed in her day job) with her insatiable curiosity about the world to create captivating content. This side hustle, launched after becoming an empty nester, has blossomed into a success story, generating income through advertising and sponsorships.

Happy Travels, Happy Writing: Another journalist gets paid to explore Vermont and write captivating articles for a publication called Happy Vermont. She's found a way to combine the skills she's developed over time and those she loves to use, including journalism, writing, and a new skill she developed, podcasting. Talk about a dream job!

The Road Trip Maven: A journalist turned travel blogger leveraged her writing, photography, and itinerary planning skills to build Back Road Ramblers. What began as a blog focused on hiking and camping destinations has become a comprehensive resource for road trippers exploring America. And the best part? She monetizes her passion through advertising, proving that following your fascination can lead to a fulfilling and financially rewarding career.

Building a Magical Dream: Stacey Harshman, the founder of Sparkle on the Rocks, took her creative and business skills and built The Sparkle Barn, a truly magical store that has become a destination on Vermont's map. She poured her heart and soul into it, and it's thriving!

The Evolving PR Maven: Marcy started her Marcy Clark PR business in her twenties, focusing on fashion because that's what she loved. As she grew and her interests changed, she shifted her focus to health and wellness, attracting clients she's genuinely passionate about working with and helping get the word out about their products or services, like Sparkle on the Rocks!

Me! My own story reflects this, too. Eight years ago, I left the corporate world to pursue my passion for coaching and creativity. Today, I travel on magnificent sailing ships, offer career and creative coaching experiences, and contribute to events like the Sparkle on the Rocks retreat.

The point is that there are countless ways to combine your skills and passions to create a fulfilling career. Don't be afraid to start small with a side hustle or passion project. Explore your interests, follow your curiosity, and see where it leads. Perhaps you can moonlight on your passion project while keeping your full-time job.

Remember, it's all about experimentation. Test the waters, see what resonates, and if something takes off, you can always turn it into your main focus.

Are you curious about combining your skills and passions? I'd love to chat with you and explore the possibilities! Click the link in the comments below to schedule a call.

Watch this video for more!