A close friend of mine just left her $200K+ per year sales job.
“I decided that it just wasn’t worth it,” she told me afterward.
By “it,” she was talking about the unpredictable (and long) hours, the stress of quarter closes, the time away from her beautiful new son and husband.
“What would be worth it?” I asked.
“Something I’m passionate about,” she replied.
Do You Really Want Passion?
If I had a nickel for every time I hear “I want to do something I am passionate about,” I’d be a rich man.
But between you and me, I really don’t like the word “passion.”
Sure, it sounds great — “she’s so passionate about what she does,” “his passion is inspiring” — but as a career guide, the word isn’t particularly useful. (Tweet this thought.)
The problem is that the kind of “passion” to which so many aspire is, more often than not, energy and excitement. This kind of passion is more affected by how you eat, exercise and sleep than what you do for a living.
Real passion is different. It’s just as compelling when you have it, but the path there is a lot more complicated than simply wanting to wake up every day and take on the world.
What “Passion” Really Means
If you really want to “follow your passion,” — your real passion — you need to first know what to look for.
In Latin, the word passio means “something for which you would suffer.” It’s not surprising, then, that real passion is a commitment to doing work that is hard.
Real passion is taking action amidst a mountain of uncertainty. Real passion is a willingness to sacrifice to commit to a plan that may take 10, 20 or 30 years to see through with no guarantees.
People who truly “follow their passion” have identified something that is worth the sacrifice. Depending on the person, what is “worth it” may be an issue, an idea, a problem to solve, a crisis to resolve, a goal to reach… but it is something specific — something real.
My sales executive friend who left her job learned the hard way (she had been with this firm for over nine years) that the money was not, ultimately, worth it to her.
The question is, what will be?
What’s “Worth It” to You?
If you really want to get to know a person quickly, ask them this question: For what are you willing to suffer? What do you care so much you would be willing to sacrifice your own personal well-being to defend it?
If that sounds more like a soldier’s mantra than that of an entrepreneur or professional, I would agree. You see, the foundation of a passionate life looks a lot like what others would call courage.
This is a question you must find an answer to.
If you’re not quite sure where to begin, consider these starting ideas:
For what am I willing to suffer?
- For God?
- For love?
- For the environment?
- For fame?
- For power?
- For respect?
- For justice?
- For peace?
- For security?
- For truth?
- For money?
For which of these would you be willing to suffer, to sacrifice? And why?
What is it about that thing/idea/belief that makes it so compelling? That makes it, in essence, more important than you?
Just as important, of the list above, which would not be worth it to you? Why?
“The Idea of Rome”
This idea is beautifully captured in the final scene of the movie Gladiator.
In the scene, a critically injured Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) says quietly to the crowded Coliseum after having just killed the evil emperor, Commodus:
“There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be realized.”
The “dream that was Rome” was that for which Maximus — and countless other men and women — fought and were willing to die for.
Of course, you don’t have to fight. You don’t have to work long hours, face your fears or do the challenging work that others aren’t willing to do. You can take it easy. Play it safe. Keep telling yourself that you’re doing your best and continue to hide your acorns.
But that just doesn’t seem worth it either, does it?
How about you? For what are you willing to fight, to strive, to suffer? Share in the comments!
This post originally appeared on Regret Free Life.
Image: Flickr
