I wanted to share one of my chapters.  I start each chapter with a quote and end each chapter with reflection questions.

Finding Your Passion

“Whatever you want to do, do it with your full passion and work really hard towards it.  Don’t look anywhere else.”  Virat Kohli

Why is finding your passion important?  People your age struggle with finding direction.  Honestly, people of all ages struggle with finding their direction.  Close to 80 percent of college students in the United States end up changing their major at least once; in fact, most students change their major three times during college.  Finding your passions can help you define your path in life.

Singer/songwriter John Mayer’s first big hit titled “No Such Thing” is about finding his passion.  The song is about his high school counselor calling him in to her office every year with the same question “What are you going to do with your life, John?”  Mayer’s reply every time was “I want to write songs and perform.”  The counselor always countered with, “This is the “real world” John.  You can’t make a living doing that.”  This experience impacted him so much that he wrote a song about it.  The chorus of the song is, I want to run through the halls of my high school.  I want to scream at the top of my lungs.  I just found out there’s no such thing as ‘the real world’.  Just a lie you’ve got to rise above.

Many of you may already know what your passions are.  If you don’t, there are books that offer advice on the topic.  I highly recommend that you read one or both books, “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood” by Marsha Sinetar and “Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. 

“Do What You Love, . . .” is short, easy to read and easy to comprehend.  The premise of the book is that you should set out to define your passions.  Once you have discovered your passions, look for careers that allow you to follow them.  The money will come to you later.  “Designing Your Life” teaches you how to open yourself up to the possibilities that exist in your life.

The reality is that you’re likely going to spend eight hours a day working.  You want to enjoy your work.  If you dislike your job it is likely to affect your general outlook on life.  Ask yourself if you would rather be in a job that you hate, making lots of money, or be in one that you love making less money?  To me the answer is easy! 

“Do What You Love” contains many examples of people making buckets of money who hate their jobs.  Most of them feel they can’t quit because they are too tied to the lifestyle their money provides.  Eventually they can’t take it anymore and quit their jobs.  Some go back to college; others find work at jobs they love that pay much less.  The message is clear.  Don’t base your career/life choices on how much money you’ll make.  The old saying goes “If you love your job you won’t work a day in your life.”

The most commonly held belief by young people is that you will not to be able to make a living if you follow your passion.  Unfortunately, well-meaning parents often support this belief.  It’s just not true.  Here’s an example.  One of my former students talked often about the fact that she loved to dance, couldn’t get enough of it.  Her parents, however, wanted her to be a doctor because she was good at science and could make lots of money.  After much internal debate, she told her parents that she was not going to be a doctor.  In fact, she chose not to go to college at all.  Her parents were disappointed.  She is currently teaching dance full-time at a local studio and loving it.

My brother and I are great examples.  After touring in a band for while we both needed to make money.  I took a job as a typist with the federal government and Glen took a series of jobs.  During the next few years I worked my way up the system and eventually became a supervisor.  I started as a level 3 and worked my way up to a level 12.  Soon after my friend called and offered me a level 13 job.  That’s when it hit me.  I hated my job, truly hated it.

I immediately called the Alma mater’s music department and asked if they had any graduate assistant positions available.  They had one left.  I was there the next day auditioning for the graduate assistant position, which I received.  I got my master’s in music composition and got my music teaching certificate.  I’ve been happily teaching college and high school music, composing, and changing the lives of young people for the past 30 years.  I frequently say that my worst day as a teacher/musician is better than best day in my old job.

Glen tried a million different jobs and eventually ended up as a Starbucks manager.  None of his jobs were rewarding.  Eventually he took a huge risk and went back to school to become an elementary teacher.  While in school he applied for a one-year temporary music teaching position and got the job.  He loved it.  He finished his elementary teaching certificate and continued school until he got his music endorsement.  He’s been teaching music at a kindergarten through 8th grade school for years now and loving it.

I remember watching a documentary about Pixar.  During the movie they interviewed several of the animators who were working at their computers.  One employee said, “I have a master’s degree in engineering, but I’d much rather be doing this.  Sometimes I look up at the clock and it’s 11:00 pm”.  There was story after story of people who spent years in college to earn degrees in other areas who ended up as animators at Pixar instead.

Many of you may not know what your passions are.  Sinetar provides an approach.  Find an activity where you lose track of time while engaged in the activity.  You have no idea how much time has passed.  When I’m composing music, I can’t tell you if I’ve been at the piano for 10 minutes or two hours.  More importantly, I don’t care how long it’s been.  The activity is so enjoyable and engaging that it doesn’t matter to me how long I’ve been at it.

And lastly, quit worrying about it.  Worry is wasted energy.  You will never change the outcome of an event by worrying.  You don’t need to decide at age 16 what career you want to pursue.  I understand that people ask you all the time, “What are you going to do after high school?”  Its okay to say you haven’t figured that out yet. 

It’s even okay to not have figured it out by graduation.  There is no cut-off date.  If, by the time you graduate, you have yet to find your passion, then maybe you shouldn’t be going to college.  College is extremely expensive.  Take a gap year or two.  Get a backpack and travel.  You’re only young once.  Life’s responsibilities creep up on you and tend to get bigger as you get older.

Reflection Questions

1.      What are some of the benefits of discovering your passion?

2.      Do you know anyone who is passionate about their job/career?

3.      Have you ever lost track of time because you were enjoying an activity?

4.      Why is it a potential problem entering a career because of money?

5.      What book is recommended to help you find a career?