So, is it really not ‘work’ if you love what you do? Obviously, it may be very challenging work – physically, mentally, or both – at times. The theory is that it won’t seem like an unpleasant or tedious chore if you’re enthusiastic about it. Wake up in the morning and can’t wait to start work?
You likely love what you do.

Sadly, this state of affairs remains a pipe dream for many. Can you make a career, or a successful business, doing what you love? Perhaps!

If you’re a budding entrepreneur looking for business ideas, then following your passion and doing something you love seems a reasonable starting point, right? Maybe. Let’s look at a couple of scenarios.

So, you love to cook; you like nothing better than trying out new recipes or getting creative in the kitchen – great – so you should become a chef? Open your own restaurant? Not necessarily! You might love being a chef but it’s a very competitive career choice and working in a super-busy restaurant kitchen, with wait staff yelling orders at you might not give you the serene, creative experience you dreamed of.

Open your own restaurant? Well, certainly you may be more ‘in control’ but have you seen the stats for new restaurants? Mainly for how many fail? Do you really yearn for a lifetime of anti-social hours, and stress, lots of stress? Not quite what you had in mind? In that case, maybe you’d enjoy writing a cookbook – using recipes you’ve lovingly created in your own home? Or teaching a cooking class? Or offering a small catering service?

Love to write? Dream of being the next JK Rowling? Sadly, this again is a highly competitive field. For every JK Rowling there are thousands of would-be authors that never get published. Even those that do, often struggle to make anything like a living wage from their books – yes, even those who have one or more books actually published are often barely making pocket change! So, is there no chance of finding a career doing what you love? Not necessarily. There is always a need for high-quality writing.

• Freelance writers may struggle initially but often find enough gigs to make a reasonable income.
• There is a huge need – in our digital world – for content writers.
• Many people who love writing start out by blogging, then monetizing their blog.
• Do you have another passion besides writing? Love to travel? Listen to, or play music? Passionate about interior design? Write a travel/music/interior design blog…
  

How far you can truly ‘afford’ to do what you really love is very much dependent on your circumstances. Single? Young? Happy to accept a lowish income to follow your passion rather than joining the rat race, doing something you dislike just to pay the bills? No problem – you’re the perfect candidate – start doing what you love right now! But what if you’ve a family to support? A mortgage? Car loan? Student debt? Other financial pressures? It can still be done but you may need to lead in more gradually to following your heart. Continue with your day job while you attempt to market your creative output on the side.