Finding Your Passion

I watched several sports-related things on television today. I watched the Belmont Stakes, of course (another exciting finish). Before that, I watched part of a soccer match between Germany and Portugal. This evening, my son wanted me to watch the NBA playoff game with him (Boston vs. Miami).

I happened to think of something that has occurred to me before. These athletes that make millions of dollars each year … why do they keep playing? I mean, if I got a contract to play for a couple of years for multiple millions each year, I would be sorely tempted to play a couple of years, bank all of the money, and retire. If I had $10 million in the bank, I could live comfortably for the rest of my life.

I know that one part of the issue is that people who make a lot of money tend to spend a lot of money. I understand that. But what if one of them actually had the discipline to set the money back for retirement? Why keep playing?

The same is true of executives who make seven figures. After all, many people who inherit fortunes don't work for a living – because they don't have to. So when someone works and amasses great wealth as a result, why keep working? Why not live like a rich person and enjoy the wealth?

I think there are two parts of the answer. First of all, those who inherit a fortune have never had to work; those who earned their wealth have worked hard, and it's all they know how to do. So it could be that those who have made a lot of money keep working simply because they don't know what else to do.  Their work has made them who they are -- and it is an intrinsic part of who they are.

I suspect that the other part of the question, however, is that those who have earned their wealth have done so because the work they are doing is their passion. They aren't doing it for the money … not deep down. They are doing it because they love doing it. The wealth they are able to amass is simply a result of doing what they have a passion for doing.

Which is where the question for myself arises. If I won the lottery, would I show up for work Monday morning? Probably not. (Actually, I might … but the reason for that is a subject for another post.) I work to make a living, and if I didn't have to work, I wouldn't. What I'm doing for a living is not what I have a passion to do. And yet, what would I do, if I were independently wealthy and didn't have to work for a living? If I could do anything as an occupation, what would it be?

They say that you can make a living doing just about anything, if you really have a passion for it. If you are passionate, then people will pay you to do what you love. I guess the first question that has to be answered in that formula remains, What am I passionate about? Figuring out how to make a living doing it is secondary to figuring out what it is that you really and truly want to do.