When Did Everything Need an ROI?
You bake a good cake, and somebody tells you to start a business. You take a decent picture, and suddenly you need a photography page. You start running, and now there's talk of races, sponsorships, and building a following. What started as something you simply enjoyed has somehow turned into a conversation about its potential. And listen, I love a good business idea, but can we just like things anymore?
We've gotten really good at finding opportunities in everything. We track our steps, measure our progress, document our experiences, and somehow manage to make even our downtime productive. At what point did being good at something automatically mean we needed to figure out how to sell it? It's almost like enjoying something isn't enough anymore unless we can attach a goal, a dollar amount, or some kind of achievement to it.
I think there's something to be said for having an interest that belongs to you and doesn't come with expectations. No customers, no deadlines, no content calendar, and definitely no one asking if you're taking orders for the holidays. You can enjoy something, be good at it, and have absolutely no desire to turn it into your next source of income. That doesn't mean you're overlooking an opportunity.
The funny thing is, we don't always realize how much this mindset follows us into our personal lives. We spend so much time measuring outcomes at work that we start doing it everywhere else. Reading becomes a challenge to complete, walking becomes a step goal, and learning something new has to contribute to our professional development. Even our free time has started feeling like it needs a performance review. And who exactly is conducting that review?
Think about the things you enjoy that have nothing to do with your résumé, your business, or your next big move. Maybe it's trying a new recipe, getting lost in a book, painting something that will never hang on anyone's wall, or doing something simply because you feel like it. We spend enough of our lives answering questions about what we do and what we're working toward. Surely, we can have a few things that don't require an explanation.
What If the Return Looks Different?
My goal is not to discourage somebody from turning a good idea into a business. I love seeing people build something from scratch, especially when it started with something they genuinely enjoyed. But I also think we should be able to recognize an opportunity without feeling obligated to pursue it. A hobby can become a thriving business, or it can remain what helps you unwind after a long week. Both have value, and neither needs defending.
And for others, what happens when we bring that same pressure into the spaces where we lead? We've gotten so comfortable measuring results that sometimes we forget people need room to figure things out. Not every idea needs a deadline, and not every conversation needs to end with somebody being assigned a task. Society has normalized asking people what they're working on, but we rarely ask what they're interested in. And those are two very different conversations.
When was the last time you did something simply because you wanted to, without wondering what it could turn into? Pick something back up because you miss it. Try something new without worrying whether you'll be good at it. And if that passion eventually turns into something bigger, great. Simply make sure it's something you actually want, not another expectation you've placed on yourself.
Not everything you love needs to make you money. Sometimes enjoying it is the whole point.
by Karen Hemphill
