Over the internet, i come across many people who are not sure whether they should continue with their existing job or do something which they would rather be happy to do.
Some of them not only feel happy, but are also very passionate about something. Still, they refuse to follow their passions and have already compromised with their lives saying that they just want to keep it as a hobby.
A very tiny portion of such people actually thinks seriously about it. But, there is no simple solution that would take care of everything automatically.
Our thoughts and feelings are divided into two parts. One part says to continue with a stable and risk-free choice. Other part says to go ahead and just do what we want to do.
We all go through this phase at some point in our life. Sometimes, we can't even afford to think about other options as there are so many responsibilities to carry out. It's simply not possible to take the plunge.
But, sometimes even though it's possible to follow our dreams still, we ourselves come up with a variety of excuses to not follow them. Whether the reasons for not pursuing your dreams are valid or invalid, only you can tell.
Still, i believe that if you are really passionate about doing something then you must go out and try doing it at least once in your life. Even though you are absolutely sure that you won't be able to follow your passions for each and every day of your life, there is no harm in giving it at least few years of your life.
If you can't spare a few years or think it's too much then i would say that at least give it a year. Only one year from your life.
Now the first question that comes to the mind is this: Is it worth wasting a year of our life when we are almost sure that we won't earn much/anything from it?
That depends. It depends upon what you want to earn- money? Knowledge? Experience? Satisfaction? The answer will depend upon what you want to earn.
But that will still be wasting some part of your life right?
That also depends. It depends upon what's your definition of living.
If you really want to do something and are willing to work hard enough to achieve it then just go ahead and do it. You will be surprised to see how much experience you have gained in just a year of doing it.
If you love something or even if you just feel happy doing something then the rate at which you move ahead in that particular field is much higher than that you would gain in another field.
What's the worst that could happen?
You will fail; you won't earn any money; you will have to start again.
Even when the worst happens here is what you would have gained- a great deal of experience and knowledge about your subject; the guts and confidence to handle failure in your life; a very good evaluation of yourself.
There is no way you would have known these if you hadn't even tried. With this new understanding of yourself even if you decide to go back to your old life you will perform well there too.
You only learn from your mistakes. Just as long as you don't repeat them again and again. But, if you don't even try doing something you love, you are likely to regret it deeply at some point, later in your life.