If you don’t love your job, it’s not the right job for you.
Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “That’s easier said than done.”
I have met very few people in my career that truly loved what they were doing for a living. Those that did pursued their dreams. Those that were simply working for a living, and that was the vast majority, made career choices for “practical” or monetary reasons with no regard to long-term satisfaction.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I worked in the fly fishing business for many years. No, I did not make millions of dollars, but, I had the joy of waking up every morning to gaze at the best wild trout fishery east of the Rocky Mountains. I had the pleasure of fishing some of the most beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams in North America. I was surrounded by scenic beauty and wildlife while most of my clientele were pent-up in their concrete towers. Their view was the hustle and bustle of city streets far below– the honking of horns, the grumbling and griping of over-stressed employees, political discussions at the water cooler, and meetings, endless meetings.
Give me a golden sunrise and the sipping of salmonids in the tail of a pool as they pick an occasional stonefly off the surface– one that emerged the night before. Give me the evening spinner-fall when trout sip spent mayflies as they drift, prone, downstream. They feast into the darkness.
Afterward, I have spent many a night playing guitar and singing songs with friends and associates. We talked fishing off and on. We enjoyed fine dining. We played music. We did it all again the next day. Yeah, believe me, it was a tough way to make a living.
My point is this: You really work for yourself. You can choose what it is that you WANT to do. All you have to do is figure out what that is.
I will leave you with this one question: If you could take money out of the picture and you could do whatever it is you wanted to do, what would it be?
Now, all you have to do is figure out how to monetize it.
Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “That’s easier said than done.”
I have met very few people in my career that truly loved what they were doing for a living. Those that did pursued their dreams. Those that were simply working for a living, and that was the vast majority, made career choices for “practical” or monetary reasons with no regard to long-term satisfaction.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I worked in the fly fishing business for many years. No, I did not make millions of dollars, but, I had the joy of waking up every morning to gaze at the best wild trout fishery east of the Rocky Mountains. I had the pleasure of fishing some of the most beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams in North America. I was surrounded by scenic beauty and wildlife while most of my clientele were pent-up in their concrete towers. Their view was the hustle and bustle of city streets far below– the honking of horns, the grumbling and griping of over-stressed employees, political discussions at the water cooler, and meetings, endless meetings.
Give me a golden sunrise and the sipping of salmonids in the tail of a pool as they pick an occasional stonefly off the surface– one that emerged the night before. Give me the evening spinner-fall when trout sip spent mayflies as they drift, prone, downstream. They feast into the darkness.
Afterward, I have spent many a night playing guitar and singing songs with friends and associates. We talked fishing off and on. We enjoyed fine dining. We played music. We did it all again the next day. Yeah, believe me, it was a tough way to make a living.
My point is this: You really work for yourself. You can choose what it is that you WANT to do. All you have to do is figure out what that is.
I will leave you with this one question: If you could take money out of the picture and you could do whatever it is you wanted to do, what would it be?
Now, all you have to do is figure out how to monetize it.
