Bet On Yourself: When To Turn Your Passion Project Into Your Full-Time Job

How many times have you met people ready to embrace change in a heartbeat without second-guessing their decision? Not too often, for sure. As a species, we are hardwired to interpret change as a threat and, therefore, question it; we often either resist change or avoid it altogether. 

However, an inevitable question is bound to arise – how could the human race have ever survived and grown without change? Frequently, resisting change is nothing more than a reflex born out of our faulty understanding of the world. That is when brilliant, educated, hard-working pioneers make their entrance; with determination, wit, and infinite patience, they can guide us towards a healthier, safer, and brighter tomorrow.

Here at Top Doctor Magazine, we are truly blessed to meet such examples in the medical field every day, people going all-in on their passion for seeing their patients happily smiling. Their drive towards progress and sacrifices ensures that there is an answer to every question when you have the right seeker. 

Such is the example of Dr. Najifa Choudhury, a Wayne State University magna cum laude graduate with a Doctorate of Pharmacy and founder of Dr. Peace Lily, who was blessed with a sharp mind, love for people, and a knack for business. Combining her three superpowers, she immersed herself in an industry that, albeit tenebrous and misconceived, has brought substantial help to pain management – the CBD industry! Today, we will allow Najifa to guide us through her story, explain to us why CBD equals sustainable pain relief, and teach us what it takes to turn a passion project into a full-time job!

Breaking into the CBD World

Najifa saw a clear path towards a career in pharmacy right from the onset. Pursuing both her passion and her family’s choice, she discovered how working in her pharmacy brings out her social skills. “Working in a pharmacy, I realized I was able to make all of these connections with my patients.” Albeit an exemplary student, however, Najifa was not spared of our society’s everyday trials. “I was dealing with a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety in my personal life. And I wanted something natural that could help me. And so I just started doing research like, ‘Hey, what’s out there that might help with my stress level.'”

Her drive and research led towards the mysterious world of CBD; needless to say, the connection was instantaneous. “I tried CBD, and I just fell in love with it. Honestly, it worked so well for me. It helped me out with my mood, how I was feeling, how productive I was.” The discovery impressed Najifa so much that she immediately became an outspoken ambassador of CBD-based products. “I started telling my family and friends about it, like, ‘Hey, you guys, have you ever tried CBD? Do you know about CBD?’”

The Obstacles of the CBD Industry

Although a promising pain relief lead, CBD is not everyone’s cup of tea, as Najifa learned first-handedly. “A lot of the responses I got were like, ‘oh, wait, are you talking about marijuana?’” These words perfectly describe the ongoing confusion between CBD and marijuana, not just from ordinary people but also from physicians. “I have definitely noticed a gap in knowledge when it comes to other doctors or pharmacists when it comes to CBD. Again, they just automatically assume it is marijuana or THC.” Quite the contrary, CBD-based products work their magic on patients in a safe, THC-free environment.

CBD promoters attempt to prove and market its valuable benefits through various strategies to combat these misunderstandings. Educational materials, conferences, scientific research, teaching, and social media constitute the main ways of spreading CBD awareness, as Najifa herself confesses. Through both teaching and research, she believes that CBD will make a good name for itself. “We need more research papers; we need more guidelines to talk about it, more knowledge to be shared in the industry for others to find out about it. That’s where I’m trying to really make the difference.”

From Young to Old

However, the leading promoter of CBD products lies in the younger generation, more favorable towards change and, consequently, ready to act as its ambassadors. “CBD is not only helping millennials or the younger generation; it is making its way through all of the generations […] I use it myself, and I’m giving it to my mom. I am giving it to my in-laws and my grandmother.” Both young and old are thriving on the CBD-brought benefits – less stress-associated tooth grinding, superior energy and concentration levels, and a general sense of calm make up just a few ways CBD enhances our life quality. 

So well-founded are the CBD benefits that customers feel the need to contact CBD distributors and drive them towards improvement with their words of praise, as Najifa shares with Top Doctor Magazine. “That’s what I hear from a lot of my other customers too, like, ‘my gosh, when I need to study, when I need to work, I take your vegan gummies, or I take your tincture.’ It has really made a difference in my life.”

Sometimes, a Knack for Business and a Kind Heart are the Game Changer

Starting and developing a successful business in the CBD industry is no walk in the park; there is no question about burning the candle at both ends quite often. First, however, one must ask themselves how prepared they are to turn passion into a full-time job. That is when seemingly tricky questions arise: “Should I expand my knowledge on business administration?” “How about getting an MBA?”

Truth be told, no single method or curriculum will make one successful in the CBD industry unless they possess a knack for business and a kind heart towards people. Turning towards Najifa’s example, she relates to us how most of her business training came not from an MBA but her unquenchable curiosity; books, podcasts, networking, and conferences all fed her natural propensity towards business. “I think it’s just my natural curiosity, my passion for always learning, my willingness to go out there and teach myself, even though I don’t have that background, that really helped me.”

As we are dealing with a product that frequently proves a life changer, no business skill would suffice without a heart inclined towards the well-being of people. Only through obvious and genuine care towards people can one build a community of loyal customers. For that reason, Najifa goes out of her way when she brings a personal touch to every order she sends out by writing thank-you notes and by sending the packages herself.

“Be Very Honest with Yourself”

As a parting thought, we are reminded that turning passion into a full-time job calls for faith and patience. However, such virtues are not enough to strike gold in the CBD industry. “You also have to be very honest with yourself. Are you a hard worker? Are you willing to put in all these hours? Are you willing to do what it takes to have a successful business? Or are you just fantasizing about the idea of having a business, but you don’t want to put in the work?” Najifa’s example teaches us that helping others calls for hard work without complaints and sacrifices without regrets. 

We believe that all of us picked something today from Najifa’s wisdom and made it our own, with hopes that her tremendous knowledge on CBD dispelled our misunderstandings on this wonder treatment. If you would like to learn more about Najifa’s mission, don’t hesitate to check out her website and her personal and business Instagram accounts!