Doing What You LOVE!

What if money didn’t matter?

Yes, I hear you saying loud and clear but it DOES matter so that’s a stupid question!

Easy there! No need to get upset. Let me phrase that another way. What if no matter what you did, you made money at it? Or more specifically, what if you did what you LOVE and made money?

There’s a catch right? Like you gotta buy into some timeshare or give all your money away to someone, hop on one foot and spin in circles…right?

Well no, that would be silly and kinda dangerous. But yes there is a catch.

The catch is that you have to be patient, take a risk, be dedicated and have a whack load (yes that’s the technical term) of perseverance.

Would you do it? Would you take the risk, be patient and persevere? Do you have what it takes to pursue happiness and let the money follow?

Or do you think what I’m saying is a load of…well… not very nice stuff?

In the past my impatience led me to discount this whole concept of doing what I love. Surely if I loved something bad enough I’d be awesome at it like… oh I don’t know…10 years ago? That thought began an unhealthy pattern of trying something for like a minute (I might be exaggerating just a smidgen) and when I wasn’t rocking it like a Rock Star, I’d give up.  And by give up I mean got really impatient and flipped the bird at whatever I was trying to do.

Now before I get too deep into the whole science of learning – because I’ll be talking to this in a future post (so stay tuned!) – I’d like to step off this diverted track and step back on the Do-What-You-Love train. Hmm… love train…well you know what I mean.

Okay so where was I? Oh yes, earning a living doing what you love. It’s not easy – not even by a long shot – but let me tell you it can sure pay off.

Let’s talk examples, people.

I recently watched an interview with Devan Dubnyk – a goalie for the Edmonton Oilers. (I’m a hockey fan, remember? Trust me you don’t need to like sports to get this.)

In this interview Devan was asked what it was like for him on his road to becoming an NHL goalie. He talked about how he was drafted in 2004 and at the time Edmonton didn’t have a farm team, so he was sent to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Now this might sound a bit harsh but I’m going to say it anyway. It’s basically the kind of league you play in after you’ve had a successful(ish) career in the big league.  It’s the hockey minors and some people make a successful career there, but let’s face it, it’s the BIG LEAGUE that everyone wants.

So Devan played there and I’m sure he had some great times, but the entire time he played in the ECHL and then the AHL  he still held onto the dream that he’d be playing in the NHL one day. He said three great things that stuck with me.

1) It’s a long road, but if you stick to it you can certainly get there.

2) You just never think otherwise. (About making it to the NHL)

3) You just know it’s going to happen.

Great determination! It took almost 9 years but not only is he in the NHL, he’s the starting goalie and doing really well. He also played in a European tournament in December where he was the starting goalie for the Canadian team. (Full interview with Devan HERE)

The road to success was paved with determination, perseverance, patience and risk.

But it paid off, right? You betcha!

Sure there are just as many stories of failure as there are success, but when you talk with those that have made it they all say the same thing,

I just knew I’d make it!

And they did because they were doing something they loved and dedicating themselves 110%.

If we’re willing to take the risk, persevere, be patient and give it our all, can’t we make it work too?

Absolutely!

It’s not about blind faith. I’m not promoting that you give up your right to question things. I think it’s more about just believing in yourself and committing to give it your all.

And patience! Yes, that pesky little trait has been my Achilles heel for so many years. It’s probably the best kept secret of success.

The next time you catch yourself saying –  Oh! I want that person’s job! – stop and think about what they did to get there.

Moral of the story: Do what you love and the money will follow. 🙂

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