Imagine this: you are an eager entrepreneur, ready to work hard to make money. Where do you start? Where is the money to be made? If you are really open to anything, you’ll look around for any opportunity. Anywhere from reselling a diet supplement in your overweight neighborhood to writing about insurance policies to help people sort out their options. You may find cracks in the system, where you can insert yourself as a middle man in hopes to get rich. And maybe you will. But you may end up skipping from one opportunity to another, like a puppy chasing a squirrel. You may keep randomly trying possibilities left and right, hoping you’ll succeed, because you are dedicated and you’ve heard it said that it “takes just once for it to work…” OK, so let’s assume it works and you do get rich. Then what?

Why do you actually want the money? So that you can do … what? I think if you dig deep, at the end you want money to be able to do what you love, to follow your passion.

If that’s so, why don’t we start with that? Let’s focus on what you really love doing. Now, I’ve seen enough starving artists understand that just doing what you love will not really build your business. I may love writing, but if all I do is write stories in notebooks that are piling up in my drawer, no money will follow.

What I think we need is to combine the passion inside us with needs that are outside, in the world around us. Simply following a crack in the system where there is money to be made is not entirely wrong, but should not be your #1 priority. If you go for it and your heart is not there, to me that’s desperation and I would love to build my business on something more positive than that. If there is passion, there’ll be will, talent, energy, and drive to overcome the hoops that come your way as you’re working on your business. But you have to come out of your “passion closet” once in a while and see what relevant needs the world out there may have. Then you need to follow up on those possible opportunities, test the waters, see what works and what doesn’t, get inspired by the reactions people may have to what you’re offering, be curious about what others who share your passion do, and be flexible to adjust your approach as you go.

For example, if you like food, you may try volunteering for a food bank, or working in a restaurant, or writing about local farmer’s markets, or inviting people to your house for a gourmet get together, or perhaps looking into how you can learn how to make cheese or import wine from another country… then notice what happens. Is that something you want to do more of? What makes you like it? Where does your passion lead you? What reaction are you getting in the world? Do people like it? Do they want to join you? What are you learning?

People pay for what they value. There are ways to make money by following your passion and connecting to others and to what’s happening around you. You don’t need to choose between following the money versus following your passion. If you manage to mix your passion with a need in the market, you can have it all!

All of us have been in a situation where we realized at some point that we wanted out. It could have been a relationship, a job, an exercising routine, community, anything. Things are great and then, suddenly, the balance tips over and the bad becomes increasingly heavier than the good. Your partner doesn’t seem good enough, job tasks are annoying, the daily bike ride feels boring, and you don’t want to belong to the same circle any longer. You want to run away to a better place. But where? Knowing what you DON’T want is not the same as knowing what you DO want.

If you ask me what I want for dinner and I tell you I don’t like beans, absolutely hate fried stuff, spicy food upsets my stomach, and I’m trying to avoid carbs, you may think there is still a lot of dishes I’ll like. But even if you serve something that avoids my DON’Ts, what are the odds that I will actually like it?

When you want to move on and be somewhere else, you may think that it’s because there is something wrong with the people, the job, or the neighborhood around you, and that if you simply change the exterior, all is going to be great again. However, you may not realize that the main reason behind why you no longer want to be where you are may lay inside of you. Maybe you’ve evolved and need something else. Maybe there is nothing wrong with the exterior and you’re simply ready to explore new territories and to play with your life a little.

Getting in touch with who you are and what you want is very powerful. If you’re leaving because you can’t take it anymore, you don’t know where you’re going, and the only thing on your mind is to run, you are in a survival mode. If you operate from fear of staying, everything seems better than the current situation. You feel desperate and weak and you may settle for the first thing that crosses your path.

On the other hand, when you know what you DO want and you move towards it, there will be joy, anticipation, and excitement inside of you. You’ll feel stronger, able to enjoy the journey and adapt as you go. You can be present and curious about all that is around you. You can decide based on what you like and what you want with each step that you take. So, where do you want to go next?

Last night, I was driving through the city, admiring the lights, the scenery created by the buildings and bridges, the lights that gave it life, and I started thinking about the time before people settled in. Originally, the land had a certain landscape – the hills, lakes, forests, meadows, beaches, rocks… and the settlers needed to work with that natural environment – they crossed rivers using bridges, they looked for solid ground to build houses, and settled near the ocean, bringing in more supplies from abroad.

Each of us also has a natural landscape. Your “hills” may invite you to build great things, your “oceans” may inspire you to search for new inventions, or your “meadows” may create a strong desire to gather groups of people with a common purpose. Whatever that natural landscape may be, we need to be aware of it and use it to our advantage, just as those old settlers and architects did. Only then we can make the best of it and build the structures that will work well with our “natural resources”.

So, if you found yourself climbing the corporate ladder while dreaming about serving the needs of your community, maybe it’s time to take a trip to your inner self and explore the scenery. Are you building houses on sand? Maybe there is a place that inspires fun and exploration, like a waterfall. Maybe you just got lost in the woods and forgot about the fields around that offer amazing views of sunsets that may inspire you on your journey.

Take your time and explore who you really are. I’m sure there is a lot you can do with what you find, whether it’s a warmer climate offering places to collaborate, or a cooler one, where you would sit by the fire and concentrate on detailed work. However you end up crafting your life, building your career, or pursuing your passion, it’s going to be as unique as the world around us – there are no two places on Earth that are the same. We love traveling to beautiful places, because they somehow inspire us. So, if you are sensitive to your inner landscape, you are more likely to create a life that is naturally beautiful. A life that you will love living; a life that many others would like to join. And some may just choose to join you forever.