Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The very best career advice - EVER.

I get a kick out of the responses on "Shark Tank" when folks trying to get money for their business can only offer, "But I'm VERY passionate about this!", as an argument!

Mike

Rowe's point is that you may not be equipped to succeed at your "passion" and therefore pursuing it without admitting defeat is a gigantic mistake.

If my passion had been to be a concert violinist or basketball player, I'd have been chit out of luck no matter how hard I tried and tried. I washed out any number of students who had genuine passion to be a pilot - but not the necessary skills.

I succeeded in three widely different careers not only because I had passion to do them but I arranged for the opportunities to begin them. (And fortunately had the skills, too.)

And I also succeeded in a business I had no passion for initially, but fell into an opportunity and then made it a passion. THAT's what Rowe is advocating.

I've got first hand experience with that aspect.

So many possibilities out there, I'd never spend time doing a job I didn't enjoy.

Life's too short and money ain't everything.

I think I know what you mean, and that's probably true for the vast majority. I once had a passion for photography and was even doing it semi-professionally....enough to realize that turning it into work would take the fun out of it. And it doesn't pay that well anyway - unless one is very, very good. Even more true now, with the advent of digital photo technology.

Sure - some people get lucky and their passion pays off. But they are the small minority. There comes a time to be realistic...or starve.

Pursuing such can also be a sure way to ruin that same passion.

Too many years of fiberglass and epoxy getting under your skin?

You are correct though, one has to define what they're idea of success is and go for it, screw everyone else. If it doesn't work, chock it up to life experience, reassess and move forward. Too many ways to make a living doing what some else defines for you.

No, but I've breathed bushels of sawdust.

a winner never quits, and a quitter never wins.

follow that advice, and one has at least a chance of retiring at 54 with the full walk. others do even better.

Got this from another thread...
Top 10 Nascar drivers' salaries. There's a job with passion! $25,000,000/year!

I hired a fishing guide once and he was very good at what he did. I quizzed him about how it came about and he said that he "wanted to follow his passion." He then said he would never do it again because it turned his passion into a pain in the azz and nothing more than a job....he got to the point where he hated going fishing each day.

Yes, that's part of it. The other part is if you are making money at it that means that someone is paying you. If someone is paying you then you are working for someone and you no longer have complete ownership of said passion.

Then that particular fishing guide stayed in it too long.

these days "following your passion" usually means living off mom and dad until they hate your lazy ass.

passion is over rated

IMO, winning Wimbledon at 16, or playing the masters at Augusta national at a young 14,
= gifted ability but still requires - discipline,focus,sacrifice and perseverance, not so much passion.

Passion alone won't get you driving F1 or piloting a jet, you need money, rare privilege and skill.

Of those with passion that try for Special Forces?.. how many fail?

I certainly followed mine and have no regrets.

Sorry Phil, but you are about as common as Babe Ruth. ;-{>8

Brother, you ain't kidding!!!

L.W.

I ain't worked a lick in over 27 years

... and they pay me for it, not real well, but its a living.

Good advice from Mike Rowe.
I work to live, I don't live to work.
Several years ago I was facing a layoff and the prospect of finding new employment after 20 years at the same company. I was talking to a business owner friend and he asked "what do you WANT to do?" I replied "what I WANT to do is get up in the morning, walk down to McDonalds and drink coffee with the spit & whittle crowd, come back home and maybe do some reloading, go to the range, or maybe take the kayak to the lake..."