What's your JOY? And should it be your JOB?

the ambivalence of turning passion into income

In the last installment of Ruby’s Very Good Thing she was contending with a life out of balance — not enough taking care of herself, too much creative exploration. BUT that doesn’t mean things are going badly for her.

Sure, it’s nice when things are perfectly split up and you’re doing just the right amount of ‘this’ and the perfect amount of ‘that’. But it also happens that ‘going too far’ in some direction can give you some kind of a a breakthrough.

The breakthrough Ruby’s getting is a whole new way of writing………

Of all that’s going on in this section of story, let’s focus on the part where Harold can’t believe Ruby doesn’t get paid for what she’s doing.

Ruby is soo into the game of writing down what she’s slowing down to “catch” that she is treating it like a job. And maybe for our unemployed protagonist it would be a good idea to find a way to turn what she’s loving doing into her livelihood!

It‘s a very common good idea.

The idea of turning your J-O-Y into your J-O-B

People lovvvve the idea of turning their passion into revenue. Because who doesn’t want their work to feel meaningful? Who doesn’t want to spend their days doing something they enjoy doing so much they’d do it even if they weren’t being paid to do it?

AND THEN YOU DO get money for it??

Sign me up!

Except taking your passion down that road, it’s not always all it’s cracked up to be. I know. I’ve spent my adult life doing it — or trying to do it — with my various interests. To varying degrees of success.

Without turning this installment into a downer, let’s look at……

The downside of turning your J-O-Y into your J-O-B

I’ll name just a few of the "Wah-wah"s…

😿 What was once just pure fun can stop being fun when you ask it to be income-producing. Something once pleasurable now feels like a big, pressure-filled “have to”. And when you “have to” you don’t always “want to.”

😿 OR maybe the spark remains, but you begin to notice that your life has an “always working” feeling to it. It doesn’t feel balanced, it doesn’t feel boundaried. It feels like… well, “always working”.

😿 And then there’s what turning your joy into what brings in money can do to your sense of self-worth. Because what if people don’t want it… enough to cover your cost of living? What does that mean about YOU? Or rather, what do you make that mean about you?

In the story of Ruby, she’s not considering turning her Great New Game into a money maker. Which is both to her detriment (she’s not getting any closer to a new job) and to her advantage (her fun gets to remain pure).

And there it is in a nutshell: the challenge of living in a dualistic world where there’s always two sides to the coin (pun not intended, but a very good pun indeed!).

How about you?

Have you ever tried to turn something you really love doing into a money-maker?

Is that what you’re doing now? If so, are you doing it to great success?

Or are you doing it with mixed results and mixed feelings? If so, do you ever wish you’d chosen to keep them separate?

Or are they currently separate and you want to combine what you love doing with how you earn your living?

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If this is an issue in some way for you…..

Let’s tap

A reminder of what the tapping points are so you can tap along without me calling out the points with each new phrase.

Tapping Script: To Monetize My Passion OR Keep It Pure?

First begin by thinking about what you love doing that could conceiveably or is currently also an income producer for you.

As you think about it, tune into what you are feeling about it, what you are seeing in your mind’s eye, and what the thoughts you hear yourself thinking about it.

Find the WORST part about what you’re noticing. Be specific. Measure how STRONG it is 0-10. Jot that number down.

You have what you need to begin tapping. Starting on the Karate Chop Point (Side of Hand):

Even though part of me wants to say YES
to making money from what lights me up,
and another part is afraid
it could kill the spark,
I honor both parts of myself
and choose to listen to both of them.

Even though I am of two minds about this:
I want ‘doing what I love’ to be my livelihood
AND I want to protect ‘doing what I love’
from turning into stress and pressure —
I am choosing to hold this ambivalence
with curiosity and interest.

Tapping through the points, starting with the inside of the eyebrow and moving to the next point with each new phrase…

Releasing and letting go of any and all resistance
to exploring this conundrum
Releasing and letting go of the conflict,
the contradictions
the confusion
Releasing and letting go of any and all fear,
frustration, futility
helplessness, hopelessness, humiliation
Releasing and letting go of any and all anger,
abandonment, annoyance, apprehension
regrets, rejections, rigidity
Releasing and letting go of any and all sadnesses,
shame, stuckness,
self-doubt, stress
It’s time to let all that go
And anything else that may be in the way
of knowing how to proceed with my life
my livelihood
my gifts
It’s time to let go of what’s in the way
of greater clarity
around using my gifts
And as I let it go
my whole world changes

Stop tapping, hold your wrist, give it a squeeze on the inhale. Exhale.
Let go of the wrist. Notice what you’re feeling and/or thinking now.

Measure 0-10 how intense.

Begin tapping again….

There’s something beautiful about loving what I do
And something terrifying about putting a price on it
What if I ruin it by trying to make money with it?
OR what if I never give that lifestyle a real chance?
So much pressure either way

I honor the part of me that wants to keep this sacred
And the part of me that wants to turn it into something more
I’m allowed to feel ambivalent
I’m allowed to be complex
I’m allowed to not know
It doesn’t mean I’m doing it wrong
It just means I care
I care about myself
I care about how I live
I care about what I create
I care about what I give to the world
I care about how I spend my time
And I care about being supported while I do it

Stop tapping, hold your wrist, give it a squeeze on the inhale. Exhale.
Let go of the wrist. Notice what you’re feeling and/or thinking now.

Measure 0-10 how intense.

Begin tapping again….

Maybe there’s a way to hold both things with grace
Maybe there’s a way to honor both my joy
and my need to be paid
Maybe there’s a way to allow the spark to stay bright
Even as I share it with others
Maybe I can experiment with how I do it
No matter where I am in the process.
And maybe I can keep checking in with myself.
I don’t have to know or decide everything all at once
Maybe I’m allowed to evolve
to find out
to be open and grow
With the clear understanding that money is important, yes
But it’s not just about money
It’s about meaning
And contribution
And self-expression
And self-worth
And doing it in a way that’s sustainable.
And with that awareness
I can be open to the best way
to do my life
trusting that it’s all trial-and-error
and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Trying things is the best way to find out
what’s best
for me
now.

Stop tapping, hold your wrist, give it a squeeze on the inhale. Exhale.
Let go of the wrist. Notice what you’re feeling and/or thinking now.

Measure 0-10 how strong what you felt at the beginning of tapping feels NOW.

Take time to write down any thoughts or insights that are coming to you.

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Thanks for tapping along. Join me next week where, based on what I see the upcoming panels contain, I think it may be a little political (yikes!)

But wait, before you go, I have something to offer!

On Tues. June 17th, I’m doing a tapping workshop hosted by Anil Manley on the topic of money….

In EFT Tapping for Transforming Money Beliefs I’m going to walk you through what I call “The 5 Expressions of Money” and then show you how to use Tapping to address whatever’s problematic.

WHICH OF THESE IS YOUR CHALLENGE?

• Income: What you bring in

• Debt: What you owe

• Savings: What you keep

• Goals: What you aim for

• Toxic Money: Anywhere there's a battle over money

Because money is not JUST about numbers. Hardly. Money is VERY MUCH about the emotions, beliefs, and nervous system wiring that shape your financial reality.

Thankfully, all of it can be changed.

So please, if this topic speaks to you, join Anil and me for a powerful EFT Tapping session where we’ll:

• Tune into what happens in your nervous system and your mind when you think about money

• Release the emotional charge of money stress

• Rewire your nervous system to experience more confidence and clarity around money