5 Hobbies That Can Kick-Start Your Career

No one can agree on who said it, but people love the adage: “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.”  Regardless of the source, it’s a true statement — but most people are still trying to find a way to accomplish it.  If you’d like to get paid for doing something you love, look to your hobbies to find the solution with these two simple steps:

Do you often hear people say “you have an eye for that,” or “you are so good at that!”  Sometimes, you may be puzzled when you hear those words because you’re doing something that just comes naturally.  You think that everyone is good at that thing that amazes your friends and colleagues.

That’s your first clue that you have a skill that sets you apart. 

Look for a hobby that other people would love to delegate.  Find something other people don’t do well or don’t have the time to do.  Then, make sure that people would be willing to pay you to do it for them.

Here’s an example: I once knew a woman who worked as both a hair stylist and a part-time national pet store groomer.  Over time, she enjoyed being a hair stylist less and less; she started to feel more like a therapist for her customers rather than a stylist.  Her solution?  She combined her skills as a stylist and pet groomer to open her own high-end pet grooming boutique.  She hasn’t "worked" a day since.

It’s always safest to turn your hobby or skill into a business that already has a proven market.  If you’re really good at extreme ironing, you still need to be realistic enough to realize that no one will pay you to iron their clothes as you're doing something "extreme."

Here are some hobbies that you can potentially turn into a career:

Today, we spend more time at work than with the people we love or with activities we enjoy.  It makes sense to take a hobby and turn it into a career.  Find your passion and kick-start your new career today!

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