Have you ever wondered why humans have two eyes but only one line of vision? Why do we have two hands but perform only a single task with them? What's really mind-boggling is that humans have two legs, but we walk in the same direction. As you can see, humans have the ability to combine two things successfully and use them for one common purpose.

The example above tends to support the myth that humans underachieve when they don't focus on a single career. Individuals who find common ground for whatever jobs they are combining can be successful in doing so. A great example of an individual who achieved this feat is Aleksander Vayshelboym - a successful businessman and an actor.

Aleksander Vayshelboym reaffirmed how individuals could combine two careers successfully without any conflict. "I have heard many times that art and business don't go hand in hand, but I have learned how they can help each other grow if they put their differences aside and learn from one another."

His story is inspiring and at the same time, motivating. You will learn how to manage your career and your passion together successfully while safely avoiding any setbacks along the way.

Needs Over Dreams

Like most children, Aleksander's aspiration from childhood was to become an actor. After growing up in the tough parts of Russia, he relocated with his family to the United States of America, courtesy of a synagogue sponsorship.

According to him, moving to America was like a dream come true. "America felt like a dream, where anything was possible," said Aleksander. "I wanted to be an actor or a film director, but my dreams got crushed when I needed to make an income to help my family." So, he decided to put his needs over his dreams of becoming an actor.

Aleksander Vayshelboym chose to run a business that aids homeowners in achieving their dreams. "I started a small mortgage company lending cash to help homeowners achieve their dreams," said Aleksander. It was a very competitive market for him, as most of his competitors were well-established banks.

Over the next couple of years, Aleksander gathered enough information about the market and figured out how he could compete with the big guns of the industry, and then he did. "I was able to grow my company into a large cooperation that was licensed in 18 states." He named his company - The Iconic Mortgage Corp.

Back to His Dream

While he continued to build his company to ensure the financial security of him and his family, his passion for acting was still in him. "It was time to see if it was possible to break into the film industry," he said after successfully building his company. However, he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to combine business with acting. He eventually challenged his fear by joining a film school in 2015.

Aleksander's Secret to Combining Business with Acting

The last five years taught him a lot about the human ability to do what seems impossible. He said, "Over my last five-year journey, I worked on combining my acting skills with my skill of running a corporate business. By doing so, I noticed each one has helped elevate the other." Aleksander now sees business from an actor’s perspective and views acting from a business person’s perspective.

Viewing Business as Acting

Acting taught Aleksander how to look at a complicated business situation as if it's a movie. "Acting has taught me to slow down [when encountered by a complex business situation] and break down everything scene by scene with brush strokes. That has truly helped me improve my business." Acting also helped him take note and analyse the little details in companies that are often overlooked by entrepreneurs.

Viewing Acting as a Business

Aleksander Vayshelboym utilized his business sense to push his acting career into the limelight within a relatively short time. Most actors need more than five years before they get noticed, but that wasn’t the case for Aleksander.

"[Growing my acting career] all comes down to what happens behind the scenes of networking, studying the craft 24/7, [and] focusing on short term and long-term goals like most corporations do."

He also added that just like in business, "An artist must push and take risks to be successful."

Just like Aleksander, you can combine your career and passion and still be successful. Look out for how you can harmonize your interests, and you will be on route to fulfilment.

Aleksander has appeared in several films in recent years. His latest film release was entitled The Swing of Things.