People misunderstand the term "Follow Your Bliss" quite frequently. It's common to think of it in terms of figuring out what kind of work or business you'd most enjoy doing, then devoting yourself to that path whatever it takes and trusting that it will work out simply because you're so devoted to it.

In reality, what "working out" means can vary considerably from what will actually provide a fulfilling life.

A career path "working out" may simply mean you don't starve death, wind up imprisoned or homeless, or face some similarly dire fate. But it may also mean your living your entire life in struggle, stress, and inesecurity, never able to really relax into the enjoyment of this supposedly "blissful" path you've chosen.

I spent most of the last decade as a business consultant, before retiring about a year ago. What I saw was this common devotion to impractical businesses and thinking they just needed to learn that next marketing trick to make it "work out" more abundantly. What I so often found myself having to clarify instead was that it was just a bad business idea. It was an idea based more in what the person wanted to do than what other people wanted to buy. That's not a vocation, but rather an avocation. 

This is the case whether it's a business or a job. There are lots of jobs that seem to be parts of good careers, and yet all these middle class people find themselves financially insecure their entire work life and then unable to retire when they thought they would. 

Take a look at this graphic. 

What this graph shows is that since the mid-80s income from investments (represented by the red line's top 10%) has vastly outpaced income from work (represented by the blue line's other 90%). 

In other words, it pays more to invest than to work.

A Better Plan

Instead of trying to combine 1) offering the world work, service or products you love providing with 2) taking care of your physical survival, why not decouple those ideas?

Work at whatever work you can get that pays enough to cover modest living expenses while leaving enough to invest. Live well below your means so that this is possible, knowing that you are investing in your future freedom.

Then use the profits from those investments to finance an earlier retirement or move to part-time work, allowing you to do whatever most inspires you without any financial insecurity undermining you. 

Here in the USA where I live at least, this is an economy built around the best interests of investors, not workers. Until that changes, you do well to position yourself where the entire society, from government to industrial and financial sector, has decided to prioritize. 

Whether real estate, cryptocurrency, precious metals, other commodities, passive businesses, or whatever floats your boat when it comes to investment, put your time and money into things that keep paying you even after you stop investing additional time and money.

My Path

For me early retirement was the answer. After many, many years of working in jobs I thought were supposed to allow me to move up the ranks to financial well-being, I discovered I was still living with debt and only a few months living expenses saved. Desperation led me to to try my hand at business again (after multiple failed attempts previously) and with newly gained business expertise, I got a business up to making 6 figures within a few years. 

For the first 3 years I was at that profit level I lived in a single room cottage in someone's backyard with no bathtub and no heat, plus only one window that opened (and it only opened a few inches). I froze in the Winter and sweltered in the Summer (even when I left my door wide open to let in some airflow). It was not a comfortable life, and I could have afforded so much more. But instead I saved those years to be able to invest. 

Over the 6 years after that I turned an initial investment into a 12x return (thats 1200%) then also got myself set up with recurring revenue over the following 2 years. The last couple years I worked I was barely working, only taking projects I was really excited about. And now I don't work at all, though I do have some volunteer projects in the works.

I am currently following my bliss, and it's actually blissful. Every day I wake up knowing that all I'm responsible for that day is making sure I enjoy myself, whatever I decide to do. I eat well, sleep well, get outdoors a lot, spend time with neighbors, and am in the process of moving to be closer to family so that I can benefit them more. I get to move through my life thinking only about how I can delight in helping others, needing nothing myself that I have to strive to attain. 

Think of what it would be like to never need to think about what you need in order to be okay. 

What would it be like to genuninely be able to think only of the needs of others, because all your needs are always fulfilled effortlessly?

To me that's what it means to truly follow your bliss.

Unless you were born with a trust fund (and the rare combination of appreciation for what you have and dedication to building up skills the world will need even though you don't have to in order to survive) then as generic plans go, I think this is a good one.

Don't look to a job/career/business for security. Use those only to invest and let that gain you the financial foundation upon which you can build whatever future you choose.

Image source: Pixabay