Ah, Passion

Passion. I was beholden to passion for years. During the many years I focused on music I would often cite music as my passion; the reason for my existence and my only option for employment.

I look back at the previous versions of myself and I smile with understanding; I do not scoff, snort, or disapprove. I look at the younger me as someone who focused on his passion, a passion that was fueled by culture, lofty ideas, and optimism.

Fast forward, I see myself today as someone still fueled by passion who also has a great job and a beautiful family. I have written about my transition from music as my full-time gig to music as my full-time hobby before; a transition that like many life experiences, took time. For the current version of me, work is an important part of my life; when I am there I am 100% focused on the task at hand, I try to treat everyone around me with respect and fairness, and I try to use my life skills daily.

This leads me to how I started thinking about passion again; Stephanie Eberle recently wrote about passion, career, and life in general. Her first memorable quote was:

“According to the World Health Organization, one-third of our adult life is spent working... If so much of our life is spent working, shouldn’t it signify something?”

I hope that when the story of my life comes to an end it will have signified something. But I find that some think that only by doing great things can a life signify importance. For me, I did not realize my purpose in life until I was 36 and I became a father.

Is being a father significant? I would say so. I doubt I will ever be a titan of industry, a renown composer, or a man of influence; I work to ensure that one-third of my life is spent securing that the other third of my life is spent with my family.

“Career development is a lifelong process, the culmination of myriad decisions about how your interests, skills, and values connect to real-world opportunities...The beauty and the bane of this process, however, is that nothing is absolute.”

Nothing is absolute. That is the truly scary thing about life, but with that said we do not have to fear the unknown nature of life, we just have to be open to unknown opportunity. How does my musical training help me at work? Focus, creativity, critical thinking, and diversity. Every boss wants workers that are focused; every boss wants works that are creative; every boss wants workers that can think critically and solve problems; every boss wants workers that will embody diversity and diversity of thought.

“There are no guarantees. While being passionate about something may inspire you to strive longer and harder toward success, it does not mean you will actually be successful.”

True. I briefly went over music and money in my article Defending Taylor and not everyone who is a great artist makes a living with their art. Relating passion to financial security rarely works but when it does, it makes a great soundbyte.

“For life to signify something, don’t follow your passion. Instead, focus on the many hours which make up that life and trust the process ahead.”

I would reword this. We should all follow our passions because being truly passionate about something drives you to succeed, it helps you be creative, it helps you improve. But passion does not always equal employment or is in the black on a P&L statement; passion for many, is a full time hobby.

Life is long, not short; the hours that we spend living should ensure that you have the time and freedom to follow your passions, whatever they might be.