If you focus on exploring what you enjoy, even if it’s just as a hobby, you may discover the following progression:

1. Enjoyment

If you do what you enjoy, you’ll tend to keep doing it. A fun hobby becomes a habit.

2. Skill

If you do it long enough, you’ll get good at it. A long-term habit becomes a skill.

3. Service

If you share your skill with others, you’ll provide value to them. A skill becomes a service.

4. Income

If you provide enough value to enough people, you’ll be able to generate income from it. A service becomes a career.

This process works whether you’re self-employed or traditionally employed, and the steps may overlap as well.