Last weekend, I was thrilled to be able to see three great bands at three different venues. They were as fabulous as they were diverse. As I reflected on the weekend, I realized they also had a lot in common.

• All three have great songwriting and musicianship.
• All three embrace diverse musical styles.
• All three bands had an absolute blast on stage – they love their music, their band mates and performing. The energy and the smiles were infectious.

Follow Your Bliss

“Following your bliss” is a phrase I first learned from Joseph Campbell, but I don’t know if he coined it. It means doing what you really, really enjoy. These musicians are truly following their bliss.

Rockstar

Often, if you are good at something, you enjoy it. So, if you follow your bliss, you are probably playing into your strengths. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to get better at your craft (live in your growth zone), but you are capitalizing on what you do well and what comes naturally. You are most likely to be a rockstar in your own world when you are doing something you really like.

The Path to Bliss

For some people, it’s easy to follow their bliss, because there is a ready-made industry for their talents. Others need to strike out on their own and create the space. Some realize their perfect job doesn’t exist right now, but it might soon, so they are going to do something that could lead into the perfect job when the time is right. And others follow that mantra, “the best job is the one that someone creates for you,” where an employer or manager sees how valuable you are and designs a job within their organization tailor-made to your skillset.

What’s your path to following your bliss?