Recently I’ve been trying to figure out how to motivate my daughter, trying to discover what gets her up in the morning, what keeps her going through the day. She tends to do things, but nothing seems to have struck her so hard that she feels she can’t live without it.
While that makes my job as a parent a bit harder, that’s okay. She’s a kid. She’s still trying on all the different things she might do.
Many people might say that as an adult, you should know what it is that motivates you, what you’re passionate about. But what if there’s nothing? What if you’re getting through your life just fine, but there’s nothing that really makes you go “I can’t live without doing this thing.”
Much emphasis is put on finding your passion and pursuing it as a career. Frankly, I think that’s not one, but two pieces of bad advice.
The verb find is an active verb. It implies that you’re putting effort into it, that you’re actively looking for something. This activity, in relation to your passion, doesn’t make sense. You shouldn’t have to seek out your passion. It’s not like finding your car keys or your wallet. Your passion should find you.
By the way, I say this from the point of view of a guy that really has a passion, but I didn’t go looking for it. It found me. I went on one motorcycle ride, and I was hooked. That’s led to years and years of motorcycling, to getting my daughter into it, and to exploring it in many ways, from track days to racing to touring to trail riding. It’s part of my identity. I can’t see myself without a bike.
But the very act of looking for a passion may blind you to what you’re really passionate about, especially if you go looking for a passion that you can live on. That leads to the second piece of bad advice – that once you find your passion, that’s how you should make a living.
I speak from experience. I used to be into old Volkswagens. I bought, sold, traded, restored, and drove them. I went to VW car shows. I’ve probably forgotten more about old VW’s than a lot of people will ever know.
Then I started taking on customers. I built engines for some folks. I did some repairs for others. I restored a car for a guy. I started buying them to flip. I painted a few for folks. I sold so many of them that I legally should have gotten a dealer’s license. I had a pretty brisk business.
One day, I realized I wasn’t having any fun.
Making my hobby into my livelihood took all the joy out of it, so I sold off every VW I owned, all the parts, all the VW-specific tools. Anything I couldn’t sell off inside of a month I brought to the metal recycler.
I’ve had some business ideas involving motorcycles. I’ve not pursued them. I love being able to go ride when I want, to own the bikes I like, and to work on them when I feel like it. I’m pretty certain I could make a good living in the business. Knowing the way most bike businesses are run, I’m sure of it. but I’m just not going to go there. I’ll keep my day job.
About my day job – while I wouldn’t say it’s my passion, I still get great enjoyment out of it, and I’m told that I’m damned good at it. I didn’t go looking for a career in marketing. Marketing found me. I took a temporary office job. Management discovered I was a good writer, so they started me writing proposals. I was apparently very good at that, because the next thing I knew I was writing press, ad copy, and anything else they could get me to write. Fast forward a few companies, lots of skill development, and an MBA later, and I’m a successful marketing executive. But I didn’t seek that out. It found me.
That success allows me to pursue my passion.