The standard career advice is: “Do what you love and the money will follow.”
Based on the research we did for our book, (Just Start, Harvard Business Review Press) we're convinced that when you're heading into the unknown, desire is all-important. You simply want to be doing something that you love, or something that is logically going to lead to something you love, in order to do your best work. That desire will make you more creative and more resourceful, and will help you get further faster.
Plus, it will help you persist in the face of obstacles. When you're trying something that's never been attempted before— beginning an unusual project at work, or trying to get a new business off the ground— you're going to face a lot of obstacles. You don't want to be giving up the first time you encounter one. Desire (love) is going help keep you going.
In the movies, that drive, determination and desire is always enough to overcome all odds and leads to success.
But, reel life is not always real life. All that drive, determination and desire doesn’t guarantees wealth, or even financial success or profitability for that matter.
If it looks like you are not going to make much money, should you still go ahead if it something you really want to do?"
Now, we know this is Forbes and we know what the expected answer is supposed to be: “Hell, no.”
But our position is: “full speed ahead.”
Now let's qualify the answer a bit.
If you can't afford to do the thing you're passionate about—for example, if you do it, you won't be able to feed your family, or it would keep you from sending your kid to the college of her (and your) dreams and that is something you think is more important than whatever you're passionate about— then no, you'd better not bet your economic life on it.
The point if you want to make sure that your lower order Maslow needs of food, shelter, safety and the like are taken care of.
But even this doesn't mean you can't work on your passion a little—even if it's just for 15 minutes a day.
And you should!
Why?
For one thing there is an entire body of literature that shows people who make progress every day toward something they care about report being satisfied and fulfilled. And we're in favor of people being happy.
And we're also in favor of provoking people into pursuing happiness. We know countless people—and you might be one of them—who say “once I get enough money, I'll do what I really want to do. I won't worry about the money." But somehow, they never get to that point where they think they have enough money.
Time is finite. If you don’t do something important to you now, when exactly are you going to?
And of course, the assumption about this not be a profitable idea could be wrong. You might, indeed, end up making money if you engage in your passion, even though you currently think you won't. Remember, the future is unknown. Who knows what people will buy, or what you might invent after your very next act. At any moment in time, you are only an insight away that can change everything.
As we said have argued throughout, you are facing the unknown, they only way to know anything for sure is to act. When you are dealing with uncertainty—and whether you are going to make any money from your passion at this point is definitely an uncertainty—you act. You don't think about what might happen, or try to predict the outcome, or plan for every contingency. You take a small step toward making it a reality, and you see what happens.
So, take those small steps, even if it is just for a few minutes a day.
