Transform Your Career Path: Finding Fulfillment and Renewing Your Journey

INSPIRATIONFINANCESCAREER
Written By Elina Vuorela

There are countless ways to achieve success in life — whether in our careers, relationships, creativity, education, physical performance, or any other area. In this blog post I’ll focus on the career aspect, because the majority of us spend a significant portion of our waking hours working, either for someone else or for ourselves. If you work an average of 8 hours a day, that’s about 50% of your waking hours on any given workday, assuming you sleep 8 hours each night. While your career is just one facet of the larger circle of life, it plays a crucial role: our work impacts our well-being and sense of worth, and conversely, our overall health and well-being influence our performance at work. But how significant is our career once our basic needs are met? The importance we place on our career depends on our individual preferences, personal values, desires, and social life. This leads me to two fascinating questions: First, how can we discover a fulfilling career path? And second, what steps can we take to reinvent ourselves and relaunch our careers if we feel stuck? 


In crafting this blog post, I’ve drawn inspiration from various articles and listened to knowledgeable experts. Additionally, I’ll share personal experiences to inspire and guide you. 

The Building Blocks: Work on Your Talent 


Why and how someone succeeds in their career depends on various factors. Each industry, role, and career path requires different sets of skills, and as we live in a constantly evolving world, these skill requirements change over time. Yet, there are certainly universal attributes that almost every employer or business partner looks for. These include traits such as a growth mindset, curiosity, communication skills, and adaptability to change. 

Many skills can be learned through studying, training, and practice. While we are all naturally more talented in certain areas, and in some areas it may feel like we are fighting against our nature, we can still improve our abilities. For example, we can become better with numbers or writing through training. However, some things will always feel more “right” for us than others. Not everyone is destined to become a top nuclear scientist, corporate CEO, supermodel, bestseller author, Olympic athlete, or successful serial entrepreneur, no matter how much we train or work. Moreover, not everyone desires these roles. Motivation and focus are key when improving our skills, but success also depends on external factors like being in the right place at the right time, as well as internal characteristics such as our willingness to make sacrifices. 

Now you may wonder what defines success in a career. Subjective success is internal and individual, such as how satisfied one is with their role, responsibilities, growth opportunities, and how well they can balance their career with other aspects of life like health, family, relationships, and hobbies. On the other hand, objective success is measurable, including factors like salary level, number of promotions, and occupational status.  Life is full of trade-offs, and we need to learn to make the best decisions for ourselves at different stages. I believe the average person has a reasonably good chance of succeeding on their own terms, as long as they work hard, follow a personal strategy to develop their skills, and build a network of inspiring people. 

“Follow your passion” is a phrase often espoused by successful, wealthy people and various self-help influencers. For a while, I believed this too, but I eventually realized how naive that perspective can be. As marketing professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway puts it, “Focus on your talent, not your passion,” especially if your goal is to create wealth and build a career with opportunities for professional growth. Instead of becoming obsessed with making our passion our career, we should focus on our talents and leverage them for a career with strong earning potential. It’s fantastic if our talent aligns with our passion; it’s not a requirement.

Why shouldn’t we overemphasize passion? Firstly, as Galloway explains, most people don’t even know what they are passionate about, and if they do, it’s often in creative fields that notoriously exploit idealistic workers. For example, a study by Queen Mary University of London found that long career lengths and high activity levels among actors are exceptionally rare. The same study cited an article showing that only 2% of professional actors worldwide become successful enough to sustain themselves solely from acting. This doesn’t even imply Hollywood-level success but merely making a living. Similarly, becoming a successful YouTube creator or social media influencer is not as easy as it seems. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal discussed how social media influencers are compensated amid a crowded market, with brands becoming more selective about partnerships and sponsorships. According to a 2023 Goldman Sachs report, there are about 50 million people globally making money from social media posts, with the number of creators expected to grow at a 10-20% compound annual growth rate through 2028. While some influencers earn more than many CEOs, this is extremely rare. 

Another crucial point is that turning your passion into a career carries the risk of diminishing that passion. Therefore, if you aim to make your passion your career, it’s important to consider two things: First, is it financially viable? Can you realistically achieve financial security? Second, are you comfortable with making your passion your daily job, potentially for modest compensation, rather than just for enjoyment and fulfillment? If the answers aren’t “yes” and “yes” to both questions, it might be wise to pursue something more practical than idealistic. I highly recommend listening to Galloway’s advice if you feel uncertain or want to succeed in life. He always emphasizes the importance of being honest with yourself and facing reality. As discussed, making a living in certain professions can be difficult. Pursuing such careers is not inherently wrong; it just means you might face financial challenges and uncertainty, which can make long-term planning nearly impossible. In contrast, certain professions, such as tax law, data science, or medicine, offer a strong chance to earn a substantial income and progress in your career. 

With so many options available, it’s crucial to determine where to focus your efforts and in which fields your talents can be best utilized. And avoid getting distracted by external noise. Only you can identify what will fit best into your life. After working thousands of hours on our talent, we will eventually excel in something. Mastery tends to lead to recognition and financial rewards, boosting our confidence. Sustained passion is akin to wealth built over time through focusing on our talents and applying hard work to develop our skills. Every job has its pros and cons, and it’s important to keep this in mind. No path is easy, so planning and considering various outcomes, risks, and rewards can help you make more informed decisions and potentially avoid regrets.

Additionally, the world is constantly changing, and so are we throughout our lives. Sometimes what we once thought was good and right is no longer so. If we have already invested a lot of money and time into something, we may fall into the sunk cost fallacy, which is a cognitive bias. If something no longer serves its purpose, it’s better to view it as a learning opportunity, make peace with it, and move forward before sinking more of our resources into it. Reflecting on my own experiences, following “my passion” seemed appealing at first, but in hindsight, my passion should have remained a hobby or a weekend pursuit. I am, however, glad that I made the choice at that point in my life, as it provided valuable insights and experience. Human life can be a long time, and by exploring various paths, we can discover what is truly rewarding in the long term. I want to highlight here that it is essential to be interested in what we do, but we don’t need to be fiercely passionate about it. Interest drives faster learning and motivation, while a sense of purpose will sustain us through challenging times. It’s not sensible to spend all our lives doing things we despise or hate. 

Work Hard. Be Smart.

If you want to reach the top, it’s going to require a lot of hard work, but also smart choices. I have tried many things in my adult life: some have been smarter choices, others not so much. At the beginning of a career, I think it’s ok to explore different paths so that we can discover our interests and values. Only by gathering information can we make smarter choices. This approach will pay off in the long term, rather than choosing the first job available and burning out in a role that wasn’t appealing to us in the first place. 

Does working hard guarantee success? Working hard is essential. But it’s not enough on its own: we also need to make smart choices to align our efforts with our interests. Life is filled with various demands, but we all have the same 24 hours in a day. As a result, having a strategy is crucial for directing our energy and time efficiently and making necessary trade-offs.

According to the Pareto Principle, 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. In our work, this means that 80% of our success often comes from 20% of our efforts. Whether or not you believe in this principle, it’s wise to focus your hard work on the most vital tasks and projects that yield the greatest results, as we cannot dedicate 100% of our energy to every task. The key question is: Which tasks and projects will bring you closer to your goals? Not everything at work matters equally. Success involves learning to prioritize actions that make a difference. 

We should also prioritize habits over goals. I recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear to anyone looking to become more productive and achieve their goals. As Clear says, “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.” Both successful and unsuccessful people have the same goals, but the difference lies in their habits. We need systems that make our hard work count. These systems are our daily habits — small actions we take every day that, over time, have a compounding effect. This principle applies to almost everything in life: physical fitness, finding a new job, starting to save and invest, etc. Over time, these small, smart investments can yield significant rewards. Therefore, we should periodically step back to view the bigger picture and assess the steps needed to achieve long-term goals. Thinking and daydreaming alone are never enough to make progress; we can only find out what works by actually doing things. If we have a well-paying job but are more interested in something else, we don’t necessarily need to quit and go all in. Sometimes a hobby can blossom into a lucrative business, but other times, our hobby is best enjoyed as a leisure activity rather than a full-time job. To explore its potential, we can do micro-experiments: start weekend projects, take online courses, or attend events to test whether our idea could have the potential to lead to something worth pursuing or if it’s just a fantasy.

Today, deepening your knowledge on almost any topic can be done from the comfort of your home at relatively low cost or even free. The internet is overflowing with online courses provided by various universities and organizations. Personally, I’ve found online studying to be immensely valuable. I can choose courses that best support my career path and complete them at my convenience. In our digital world, there should be no excuse for becoming an expert in a topic that interests you. 

Network for Success

Another important component for success is the impact of our network. Who we surround ourselves with matters. If we want to succeed, it’s best to be around success and ambition. The motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”  The people closest to us influence our behavior, thoughts, decisions, and ultimately who we become. When you look at your inner circle, do the people around you believe in your ability to thrive, or do you feel they are holding you back from achieving your potential? 

This doesn’t mean that you need to cut ties with some friends and family members to succeed. However, spending more time with people who have a growth mindset and share similar goals can increase your likelihood of success. I’ve noticed this countless times in my personal life. When I’m surrounded by inspiring, hard-working individuals or people who are where I want to be, I feel more motivated to work on my dreams and can draw inspiration from how they cultivate the qualities I admire. 

The question is, how can we find our tribe? Engage more in activities you are passionate about – especially in social settings. Whether in real life or online, the connections need to be genuine. Before reaching out, it’s worth considering how the connection could be mutually beneficial. The more courage we have to connect with people who are where we want to be, the more we can absorb their energy and gain valuable insights into how they achieved their success. Connecting with successful individuals is a wonderful way to prepare ourselves for our own success: it helps us understand the decisions we need to make and the actions required to reach our goals. 

Another important aspect of social networks is the beauty of giving and receiving. When we help others by sharing something valuable, it often comes back to us in a significant way. You never know when you might need someone else’s help or support. 

Money Does Matter, but the Opportunity for Growth Matters Even More 

Earning potential, salaries, and financial risk are often not properly addressed and are frequently regarded as taboo topics. However, they are important aspects of any career. Personal finances are part of the bigger picture of our health and wellbeing. Here’s why: You trade your precious time, talent, and experience to work for someone else’s mission or goal. Even as an entrepreneur building your own venture, you need money not only to cover essential needs (housing, groceries, insurance, clothing, commuting) but also for wants (dining out, entertainment, gifts, travel). Additionally, we should always have savings for the unexpected and investments for our long-term future. Furthermore, money can also signal our personal growth. The more we can demonstrate success through financial achievements, the more resources will flow to our projects, allowing us to make a greater impact in our chosen field. 

When choosing between different jobs, comparing gross salaries is not enough. You need to consider taxation and other benefits the contract might offer. For example, certain employers cover insurance, physical activities, moving costs, and professional training. Moreover, additional earnings may be added to the base salary. Consequently, different gross salaries can lead to very different take-home pay. It’s not only the current salary that matters; we should also consider our career choices in terms of lifelong earning potential and trade-offs. It’s wise to start thinking of these factors now because investments made today will compound over time. 

Salaries and finances should not always be the primary consideration when we make career decisions. We all come from different backgrounds and have different values and dreams, but personal finances (including our income) is a topic that we should all consider. The goal is to make informed decisions, owning our choices and their consequences. 

I simply cannot understand why there are so many taboos around money, as it is essentially a neutral medium of exchange. Money gives us more opportunities and relieves stress: it allows you to travel comfortably, access better investment opportunities, meet people in places where you otherwise wouldn’t, afford better healthcare, and live almost anywhere in the world. Simply put, with money you have a higher quality of life and your life becomes more abundant. 

While money is a great motivator, it shouldn’t be the only one. If you ever speak with truly successful professionals, investors, or entrepreneurs, you’ll notice that the primary reason for their hard work is not money. Maybe at the beginning it motivated them to kick-start their career, but then almost always there is something much deeper underneath: a burning desire to build something meaningful and advance humankind. That has helped them to endure any challenges that they have faced on their journey. These individuals would continue working regardless of their wealth because money isn’t their ultimate goal. It’s merely a byproduct of the value they create. 

People who achieve success and create wealth often plan for their long-term future rather than focusing solely on the short-term gains. A low time preference means that we don’t place a high premium on instant gratification and are able to delay our consumption to save and invest in our long-term future. On a societal level, this mindset builds civilization. In contrast, a high time preference refers to a situation where we seek immediate satisfaction and consumption. Learning patience, discipline, and the willingness to sacrifice are characteristics that lead us to success in any domain. 

Finally, if you feel lost or off track, spend some time reconnecting to your talent. Work hard on it, develop a strategy, breathe deeply, and take action to face the challenge you are meant to tackle. Remind yourself of why you started and the impact you want to make and leave behind.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Sending you so much love and peace!

Elina Vuorela
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