If you received 10 crore today, would you quit your job?

If you answered No, you are in an excellent space. Your work intrinsically fulfils you, and you do it for its own sake. The money, status, fame are delightful add-ons. It’s a tough challenge to find this sweet spot, but you have achieved it. And you will see the impact of this on your life in terms of lesser stress, lesser internal conflict & more joy and peace.

If you answered Yes, then you are in a challenging space.

Life can be ruthless, and while quitting a job and setting up on your own is a function of courage, it is also a huge function of circumstances and financial resources.

Financial independence and following your passion can be conflicting life goals. Not everyone is fortunate enough to find the sweet spot where both these goals are accomplished. 

As long as you know that money is a very powerful means, but it is only a means, and not an end in itself. And what money can and cannot buy (both are important), we can move forward.

Let’s come to the real issue – the fact that your work does not fulfil you. We need to remove all the clutter and focus on the exact question you need to answer “My work does not fulfil me, so how can I fulfil myself”?

I once read a beautiful analogy for coping with life’s challenges. It said if lemonade gets too sour, you can’t remove the lemon from it, but you can add more water to reduce the sourness. And I realised that adding more water was a good solution for many adverse situations in life. 

What is your water?

What is your passion? What would you do if you could quit your job? That’s your water.

Is there a way to pursue it as a hobby, interest, side gig? Can you join communities of people with the same passion? How can you learn more about your passion and do a deep dive into it? What percentage of time and energy will you devote to your passion?

It will add a lot of work to your plate, but if you want more out of life, you have to give more of yourself to it. It will bring back the zing and enthusiasm in your life. You will feel more alive and look forward to the day. All this joy will spill over into other spheres of your life – especially relationships and health. 

When you have a happy core within you, stress and conflict weaken and lose their power to trap you. Take baby steps towards your passion, and you are bound to find greater fulfilment.

Find the water that reduces the sourness of life, quenches your thirst and revitalises you.

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