Passion in your Life & making money

Mike King posted a comment on what I wrote yesterday about work & passion. (Please understand that what is in purple, Seth Godin wrote on his blog.)

I was blessed to have parents that encouraged me to explore and pursue what I was passionate about. I took music lessons, dance lessons, acted in the local Youth Theater, was a cub scout, and went all the way as a Boy Scout to achieve the Eagle award. I had stilts, bought a unicycle, had a guitar, trumpet, trombone, and skateboard at various times in my life, mostly bought and paid for by.....me!

I learned a work ethic from my parents and delivered newspapers, painted house numbers on curbs, and even mowed lawns to earn $.

So where does passion come from? For me, it was the excitement that came about when I found something that interested me, and I pursued it. One of those first passions occurred in High School with the start of a 10 watt High School radio station, that sparked a passion that led me to a successful career on the air at various radio stations.

That passion evolved into advertising, which evolved into the bigger picture of marketing, but has an underlying, guiding principle in my work life, "To help businesses make wise marketing decisions".

As my kids have had to learn, sometimes you have to take a job that is just a paycheck, to be able to support yourself as you pursue your passions, or as you explore and discover what you are passionate about.

I worked at a couple restaurants in high school, which I hated, but I used that as a motivation to get a job I loved. And for others, maybe you will never earn a living by following your passions, and you have an "okay job" that helps you afford to follow your dreams, enjoy life and all there is out there.

A friend of the family is in France as an English teacher and was home over Christmas break and sharing with us the culture in France. He was telling us that the French do not change careers. Once a teacher, always a teacher, or baker, or bus driver, or whatever. I would hate to be put in that type of restrictive environment. I have enjoyed the changes in my life as I continue to evolve.

I have taken a few breaks from radio and marketing. 8 years ago I was a successful thermo-former operator, with a career track that I could have followed for 25 years complete with promotions and everything. But it was not my passion. So when the time was right, I went back to my passion in my work life and have been blessed to do very well.

How about you? Are you going to just "settle" in this life and exist? Or will you continue to grow, learn and discover what you are passionate about?