They say that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. And in some ways, this is true. Yet, although pursing your interests and passions every day is an endeavor that most people strive for, we can’t forget that this path requires intense dedication and effort.

Working towards your personal and creative goals must be approached with intent and endless self motivation. While you may have dreams of making a living doing what you love, there also comes the realization that doing what you love takes time, hard work and patience. It will require you to accept that you will not always love your craft, that your hobby may become your hourly gig and that you’ll have to risk being seen, judged and constantly evaluated by those around you.

To some, creating the life you want and curating your own professional experiences is a dream come true. With entrepreneurship and being your own boss acting as the mantra of today’s generation, now more than ever individuals are focused on aiming to do work that they love.

If you’re on the path to freedom through creating your own ideal career, here’s what it actually takes to make a living doing what you love.

Your Full and Undivided Attention

Whether making a living doing what you love is through a specific role or the path of self employment, making these dreams a reality requires your full and undivided attention.

Choosing a professional path requires a reflection of your personal interests, strengths and competencies. While selecting a career is difficult for most people, deciding what you want to do is just the beginning.

Being able to support yourself on your interests and passions alone will require all of your time and energy. Especially for people who have chosen a creative route or path with little no professional guidance – all day, every day will be spent turning your ideas into tangible results.

If you’re aiming to climb the ladder at a company for a specific position, expect to work long nights, weekends and jump at any opportunity to show your superiors the dedication you have to the company. No matter what, you will always be starting at the bottom. Making it to the top and landing the position can only be achieved if you are dedicated to your goals.

If doing what you love is through following a route of self employment or starting your own business, you will need to employ all of your resources – financially, physically and mentally. Every day will be spent building your business. You will start with an idea and work tirelessly to grow it into a successful company.

There will be early mornings, long nights and certainly no days off. You will be tied to your emails, have to cold pitch ideas, create an endless stream of content and educate yourself on all aspects to running a successful enterprise. You will become your boss and your success will only be defined by your willingness to invest in what you believe in.

Shameless Self Promotion

If you want to survive on your passions, you have to be able to share and express them with the world around you.

There was once a time where self promotion seemed to be an evil pillar of vanity. We were told to be humble, keep our heads down and work hard to achieve what we wanted. Yet, with the boom of technology and the Internet, the world no longer punishes those who promote themselves. In fact, competition is fierce and if you aren’t constantly pushing your own personal and professional agenda, you can bet that you will never get the recognition you seek.

This isn’t to say that promotion is about being self absorbed, obsessed or even selfish. Instead, it is the idea that in order to be successful, you will need to inform people about what you do. You will need to engage in all methods of self marketing and outreach.

To get to where you want to be, you will need to grow and connect with people in your industry. As we know that success is mostly about who you know, your main concern should be who can I meet, network with and share my passion with? And in return, how will these individuals be able to help me strengthen my reputation and business?

With tools such as social media, you can grow a community over various platforms. This community will be a group of people interested and invested in what you do. In order to make a living doing what you love, you have to share, connect and constantly engage with the world around you.

You can grow your career alone, you can hustle in solitude, but to make all of your efforts turn into results you will need people to help you along the way. Don’t be afraid to always promote yourself, be outspoken about your passions and show your community what you hope to create when fueled by their support.

The Willingness to Never Give Up

The most important part of pursuing your ideal career path is having the willingness to never give up. While you can work endless hours and continually share your professional pursuits, none of this matters if you decide to give up.

Building and maintaining a career can be tough, complicated and even exhausting. Whether you choose corporate life or self employment, there will always be obstacles and hurdles to tackle along the way. You may seek a specific position, aim to create work for a certain client or have a financial goal you hope to reach. Each of these dreams can only be achieved through determination and the willingness to keep pushing ahead.

Making a living doing what you love will be difficult. While many people are content with having a job or a career that is comfortable and stable, you know that you seek the idea of more. A life that doesn’t mean working at the same desk for 50 years, but rather a life that is full of experiences, taking risks and pursuing what matters the most to you.

You are unsatisfied with the idea that work is just a means to end. Instead, you want work to be a daily pursuit of creativity, personal expression and sharing your ideas with the world. When you have the mindset to design your own life and career, it can only be done by pursuing your innate passions and dreams. By dedicating all of your time, always promoting your ideas and never giving up, you will have everything it takes to make a living doing exactly what you love.