You Don’t Need To Become CEO To Be Valuable

“Do what you love” is a phrase that you read and see all around you.

I think some people are putting a lot of weight on this phrase. Do what you love means do what makes you happy, and do something that you won’t end up regretting when you’re 90-years-old. It’s that simple. It’s a direct phrase, there’s no hidden meaning behind it, no need to read in between the lines.

When someone tells you to do what you love, it gives you permission to do something that you enjoy without feeling guilty about it. (Because no, you shouldn’t be feeling guilty about doing the things that you enjoy for no other reason than your enjoyment.)

If you like to paint, you can paint for hours just to paint. If you like to paint, and you want to become a famous painter, and become rich off of that, you can do that, too. If you want to make a living out of blogging because you love it, do that.

You can become a photographer, or a graphic designer, or a typographer, or a dog trainer, or a famous boxer, a writer, or a farmer. You can do whatever the hell you want just because you love it. From then, you can decide if you want to sell what you’re creating or offer your services, and make a living out of what you love.

If you have more than one deep passion, then you can make a profit off of one, and then leave the other one as a hobby. Those choices are for you to make, and for you only.

If you love to dance, you don’t have to start your own dance studio. You can work under someone, and just teach it. If you love to write, you don’t need to run your own blog, you can write for a big magazine. If you love to build businesses, then you can build business and become a multi-millionaire CEO.

That is what “do what you love” means.

The problem is that there seems to be this idea floating around that everyone’s purpose should be to become a CEO. People are assuming that if someone tells you to do what you love, it means quit your job and start your own business—don’t work under anyone else when you have your own dreams to achieve!

Yes, you do have your own dreams to achieve, and you should go after them, but that doesn’t mean that you need to start a business out of whatever you love. That’s not what “do what you love” means.

You don’t need to become CEO… unless you want to.

You are still a valuable and special person if you’re not running your own business. You still matter.