5 Ways To Make Money Doing What You Love

May 13, 2021

If you have a passion, you’re lucky. Some people go through life never really discovering their calling – so the fact that you have found yours is a blessing. However, your passion can sometimes feel like a curse, if you haven’t found a way to incorporate it into your life. It can be difficult to work a “boring” job that you don’t love, when you know your true passion is what you’d rather be doing. 

Some passions are easy to monetise. If you are a science whiz, a political expert or a business leader, you can find success by working your way up the career chain in your industry. On the other hand, other passions, such as art and sports, that can be more difficult to make a living from.

If you’re full of passion with nowhere to put it, you’ve come to the right place. In this post we will explore five ways to make money doing what you love – no gimmicks, just practical advice.

Let’s get started!

  1. Teach your passion.

There’s that old saying that everybody knows: those you can’t do, teach. Well, we think that’s pure nonsense. Teaching is one of the noblest professions in the world, and not only that, but it can be a truly enriching and satisfying career path. The world will always need brilliant teachers, and you could be one of them.

If you have a passion – perhaps your passion is art – as you work your way through life, you will realise that your knowledge and skills can be put to good use. You might be able to teach others what you have learned over the years, thus spreading your talent throughout the world and doing something truly worthwhile. 

You might be thinking, ‘But I don’t want to be a high school teacher…’ However, in this day and age, there are so many avenues to explore when it comes to teaching your passion. You could qualify as a school teacher; you could become a private tutor to work with one-on-one clients; you could establish your own teaching business! The possibilities are endless.

  1. Start a YouTube channel.

Ten years ago, any kid that said “I want a career in YouTube!” would have been laughed out of the room. Nowadays, though, the game has changed. YouTubers are becoming more and more popular, and there are more of them making plenty of cash each day than ever before.

You don’t need to be a standard content creator or vlogger to make money from YouTube – all you need is a camera and a passion. 

An example of this is the YouTube channel named S&S Horseshoeing. A farrier named Sheldon from Arizona, USA, began wearing a GoPro camera while trimming the hooves of local horses. He uploaded the videos onto YouTube, and has now received millions upon millions of hits from people all over the world. 

Why has this guy become successful by covering such a niche topic? Because he has shared his passion authentically with the world, and people adore it. You don’t have to have a passion that everyone is aware of, you only need a big heart and the right frame of mind to be well on your way to success.

If you have a vocation you are proud of, why not start a YouTube channel? There is plenty of advice online about how to get more views on your YouTube videos, and even the most successful YouTubers sometimes spill their secrets!

  1. Use social media to market yourself.

The world is full of free tools that can be used to promote your brand. Social media is one of those brilliant tools. You can use social media to build a reputation for your work, thus providing you with further opportunities that can eventually turn into revenue.

How does social media marketing work? Firstly, you should set up a page that is dedicated to your craft. For example, if you are an artist or creator, set up an Instagram profile that is dedicated to displaying your work, and that contains information about it. This way, people who are interested in the type of work you do will be able to find you more easily.

Secondly, it is important to use hashtags, location tags, regular posting and a range of types of post (e.g photos, videos and reels) to build your follower base. This can take some time, sometimes even years, but to be successful in what you do, you need to start somewhere!

Once you have gained a follower base, it’s time to start thinking about how you could monetise your work. You could establish a shop or allow followers to buy your work through a channel such as PayPal.

  1. Contact your heroes.

This might sound like a pipe dream, but you would be surprised to know just how many successful people love to hear from their fans. Especially if you have a passion like dancing, singing, acting or playing sports, contacting your heroes can help you immensely. These vocations are difficult to find success in, so getting in touch with those you admire can seriously boost your morale.

Getting sage advice from one of the legends of your industry is one of the most motivating and helpful things you can do. In addition, some famous performers or athletes even go so far as to assist with paying for further training, for individuals they believe to be very talented. You’ll never know until you try, so why not write to your heroes today?

  1. Accept a different type of success story.

Success is a funny word. In modern society, success has come to be synonymous with wealth and fame – but in actual fact, it is so much more complicated than that. 

While this blog was named “5 ways to make money doing what you love,” there are other ways to be successful than just by making cash. Of course, we all need money to survive, but beyond our basic necessities, we can find success in other aspects of our achievements.

If you make enough money to be comfortable and happy, why not search for other forms of success in your passion? You could measure success by…

  • The amount you have helped people. By sharing your passion with the world in some way or other, you have helped people to realise their own joys, and hopefully inspired others to chase their dreams.
  • The way you have contributed to your industry. By focusing on what you love, you have improved and diversified your industry.
  • By the integrity of what you do. Many people go their entire lives without truly taking a stand and doing what they love. In pursuing your dreams no matter how challenging it can be at times, you have been successful in your integrity and tenacity – and that is something to be very proud of.
  • Your personal fulfilment. If you wake up in the morning excited to start your day, and go to sleep at night feeling satisfied about what you have achieved, you are in the minority. Being personally fulfilled is so important, and if you have found this happy state, count it as one of your greatest achievements ever.

Final Thoughts

Making money isn’t the be-all and end-all of life, but it is vital if you want to have few worries in your day to day existence. Making money from what you love won’t come easily, but by working hard and using the tools at your disposal in the modern world, you are sure to find ways to make a living from your passion.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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