When Passion Isn’t Just Enough

10:32 - 16 October 2013

The audience burst into a resounding applause at the end of the speech. The speech had touched the audience in different ways and they were all motivated to follow their dreams and acknowledge their innermost passion. Rita felt empowered and made a resolve to follow her heart. She was so glad she had not turned down the opportunity to attend the seminar. At the end of the seminar, she had gotten all speeches in DVD form, resolving to listen to them every day. All that was five years ago. She ...

People are making dramatic crossovers career wise. You are most likely to hear of a former accountant turned designer, or sales manager turned baker. The labour force is leaving the security of their 9-5s and moving en mass to the entrepreneurial sector. Everyone has a dream and everyone wants to have a success story from their dream and they are plunging headlong. While it is not a bad thing to follow your dreams, following blindly could cause you a lot of damage.

At a seminar for designers, put together by a former accountant turned designer, Tope Williams, this was the major topic of discussion. You are encouraged to follow your dreams but are you armed for casualties that will undoubtedly come? What are you in it for: the freedom of being your own boss or creating a potential conglomerate? You need to have a clear picture of where you want to be in a few years time and how you hope to achieve something worthwhile in the course of chasing your dreams. You need to have a clear plan, a business plan that would help you manage till you are firmly on your feet.

Most entrepreneurs out there are having a hard time. This isn’t to discourage anyone but if you plan to succeed you need to look past your passion and make concrete plans to succeed. No one will sympathize with you if you do not make your dreams fly, especially if you haven’t actively planned for your dream to succeed. So before you make that decision to go dream chasing, take a pen and make a plan.