You’ve heard the quote, I am sure. You can probably relate to “love like you’ve never been hurt” or (after a cocktail or two) “dance like nobody’s watching” but when it comes to work, let’s face it, working for free isn’t realistic, is it? 

Fair enough, but what if you aren’t so crazy about your current job and what if you’re secretly dreaming of a career change, except for you aren’t really sure of your true calling and are way too sensible to quit a well-paid job without a “plan”? 

One way to discover your passion and talents is to do something “for love” rather than for money. Let me explain. A year ago I put together a charity fundraising project Ladies Who Impress, a one-off event during which I interviewed three female role models in order to inspire women to be more confident about their abilities and make the most of their talents. I had no agenda other than to raise money for the charity I was supporting but in the process I’ve discovered my passion for broadcasting and many talents I hadn’t previously been aware of. Ladies Who Impress is now a growing forum celebrating and inspiring women, hosting regular events. This “hobby” project opened a world of opportunities for me and changed my life. 

So let’s say you like baking. Why don’t you volunteer to make a tray of cupcakes for your friend’s birthday party or your office off-site event? You may discover that you really are quite good at it and would like to try out regular Sunday baking for a local farmers’ market. You may also discover that regular large volume baking isn’t your thing at all, but at least you’ve tried and learned something valuable in the process. 

Are you a wine connoisseur? Do friends always ask you for advice? Ever thought of hosting a wine-tasting evening or starting a blog writing up your personal notes on some interesting wines? 

You see, if you do something for love, you might not make quick money, but you may discover your passion. And that is worth all the money in the world. 

Any “projects for love” ideas? Jot them down. 

I recently read The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton and caught myself reflecting on the author's observations of how quickly people tend to judge what's and who's "normal". Such judgements may be innocuous (e.g. "A woman doing weight training is not natural - why not try dancing, dear?") but sometimes societal prejudices lead to devastating consequences. 

Alain de Botton wrote about Michel de Montaigne, a XVI century philosopher from Gascogne, who had first pointed out that a society's definition of normality was constrained by its own experience, customs and practices.

In 1580 Montaigne went on a 3,000 mile journey on horseback travelling from his home in south-western France to Rome via Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was his first trip outside France, and he observed local customs in every place he and his companions visited. He also observed that his companions were getting upset by the differences they encountered whilst on the road: they complained about unfamiliar food, uncomfortable beds, incomprehensible language foreigners spoke. "Wherever they go they cling to their ways and curse foreign ones" - wrote Montaigne later. 

Back in France, Montaigne became interested in the chronicles of the exploration of South America. He was fascinated to read about American tribes in which virgins openly displayed their private parts, men were allowed to marry each other and spiders were considered a delicacy. He was saddened to hear that Portuguese and Spanish conquistadores had decided the native Americans were barbarians, wild beasts to be enslaved or murdered. In just 50 years the colonists have reportedly reduced the indigenous population of South America from 80 million to 10 million. "Each nation has many customs and practices which are not only unknown to another nation but barbarous and a cause of wonder", wrote Montaigne. The native Americans died because their customs did not match the European standards of "normality" of the XVI century. 

As I was reading de Botton's musings, I thought about the currently well publicised open homophobia in Russia. It is sad to see that some people are so stuck in their narrow-mindedness of what's "normal" that they feel justified in their groundless aggression towards homosexuals. 

I toyed with some extreme examples here but I merely wanted to open your mind a little wider.

P.S. Next time you go to France, have a frog. 

I knew you were wondering about it, so I thought I’d put it on paper. In fact, a month ago I was listening to a BBC Radio 4 podcast where markets and finance commentator and assistant editor of the Financial Times Gillian Tett talked about how her background in anthropology gave her a unique perspective on the origins of the global credit crisis.

Before becoming a financial journalist, Gillian Tett did a PhD in social anthropology studying wedding rituals of a community living in a remote mountainous area of Tajikistan. There she was living with the locals, fetching wood, chasing goats and observing Tajik culture. She was fascinated by the controversy of the Tajik community being traditionally Muslim yet operating within then officially atheist Soviet Union.

Some time later she found herself in the City of London reporting on the state of credit markets. Once she attended a banking conference in Nice, where, in her own words, she experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. The bankers were meeting and greeting each other, conversing in a jargon apparent only to their inner circle and engaging in a number of rituals, usually taking place at the bar. For Gillian, the language and the symbolism were as peculiar as those she first encountered in a remote Tajik village.

In Tajikistan, the locals followed Muslim traditions, living in their own cultural bubble within the atheist Soviet state. In the circles of Wall Street or the City of London, “the bankers were coming together to reinforce their social networks and, above all else, to reinforce a common mindset”, said Gillian Tett.  It’s as if they did not expect anyone else to understand financial craft, let alone to be scrutinised by outsiders. And when the lending systems started spinning out of control, the insiders kept reassuring each other, behaving like an isolated tribe rather than a cog inside the global economy.

Gillian Tett explained that tribal culture is endemic to humans, but it may result in “social silences” about certain issues, which ought not to be hidden but addressed.

What other “tribes” can you think of that would perhaps benefit from greater transparency?