The key to personal and financial success is to do something you’re good at and love doing.

Anyone that knows me reasonably well knows where I stand on this one. While you may be able to achieve some amount of financial “success” doing something you hate the personal side of it will be severely weakened. When you do what you love and are good at, you bring a passion and energy to it that spurs you to excel because you care. You will find yourself thinking about it when you’re doing other things, or even trying to figure out how to link those other things to what you love. So not only will you be happier but you will be far more productive. And that in itself could lead to even greater financial success.

So many people get locked into a job (not even a career) from an early age for a variety of reasons - it sounded good, they had “the subjects”, they got in, their parents did it, their friends were doing it, etc. Many of those same people have interests that have nothing to do with their work and seeing them in those activities you can see the difference in their energy. The same people who have to force themselves to work in the morning and then slog through their day, are bubbling over with enthusiasm as they devote themselves to their REAL interests.

At the suggestion that they follow their heart, they are often faced with a choice between two difficult alternatives: a future filled with their current misery or what feels like abandoning wasted time and starting all over. Though a difficult choice, those that have the courage to choose the latter end up more satisfied. Though the financial success may take a while (depending on the field), the passion and skill they bring will usually lead them in the right direction.