Finding Your Money-Making Sweet Spot: When Passion Meets Paycheck

It's 3 p.m. on a Wednesday. Ironically enough, as I thought about what topic to write about next, I was visited by the thought of paying my bills. It's payday, after all. I hop from one app to another and wonder if I still love my job enough to bear the increasing demands of my wallet.

Not only that, I also want work where my passion becomes fuel to the fire. Ikigai, that word haunts me as I am not sure if my passion overlaps with the things that make me money. Now my brain is on overdrive.

Here I am, brainstorming how to make more moolah, revisit the items I had on my diary, and bring my ideas here, on a page, as a reminder that this will become part of my this year's goals.

The Side Hustle Struggle Is Real

Let's talk about that nagging voice in your head that whispers "start a side hustle" every time you check your bank balance. Mine sounds suspiciously similar to every entrepreneurship podcast I've ever listened to. But here's the thing – not every hobby needs to become your hustle, and not every passion needs to pay your rent.

The "Find Your Purpose" Pressure Cooker

Remember when we were kids and adults would ask what we wanted to be when we grew up? Well, I'm grown up now, and I still sometimes answer "I'll let you know when I figure it out." The pressure to find work that's both meaningful AND lucrative feels like trying to find a perfectly ripe avocado – possible, but requiring precise timing and a bit of luck.

The Reality Check We All Need

Here's something I've learned after years of chasing the dream job unicorn: sometimes the perfect job isn't one job at all. Maybe it's your steady 9-to-5 that funds your passion project. Maybe it's freelancing in your field while building something on the side. Or maybe – hear me out – it's finding meaning in the work you already do by shifting your perspective.

The Money Mindset Makeover

Let's talk about something that makes most of us squirm: money mindset. I used to think talking about wanting more money somehow made me less authentic or passionate about my work. Plot twist: it doesn't. You can be both passionate AND want to make bank. Revolutionary, I know.

Let's be honest – sometimes the dream job looks more like a nightmare when you peek behind the curtain. That's why I'm a big fan of the "try before you buy" approach. Want to start a food blog? Maybe start with an Instagram account first. Thinking about freelancing? Take on one client while keeping your day job.

The Plot Twist

Sometimes the perfect overlap of passion and profit isn't where you expect it to be. It might not be in your job title or even in your industry. It might be in how you approach your work, the problems you solve, or the people you help along the way.

As I sit here, watching my bank apps update with that sweet payday notification, I'm reminded that the journey to finding work that both pays and fulfills isn't a straight line. It's more like a game of Snakes and Ladders, where you sometimes slide back before climbing up again.

But hey, at least we're playing the game, right? And maybe, just maybe, that's exactly where our ikigai has been hiding all along – not in the destination, but in the continuous process of figuring it out.