Aren’t Your Dreams & Passions Worth the Risk?
Bear Grylls broke his back in three places in a 1996 parachuting accident. It was questionable whether he’d ever walk again. It took 18 months of recovery and rehabilitation before he was finally discharged. Two years later, at age 23, he achieved his childhood dream and ended up in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest. He later went on to lead many similar expeditions around the world and eventually became a motivational speaker, author and television personality.
What are your dreams and passions? Have you looked into how to bring these front and center into your life? If you aren’t already doing so, isn’t it time you considered how to merge them into your work?
Someone recently told me, “I know what my passion is, but there’s no money in it.” Interesting. The other day I wrote about a history buff who thought the same thing - and somehow he found a way to monetize his passion.
I would imagine that back in the late 1990′s when two guys started up a pretty risky business in a friend’s garage in Menlo Park, California, they heard from naysayers telling them they’d never make money on their dream. Of course, no one would dare to say something like that to them today seeing that their brainchild, Google, is now worth more than $6B.
But, let’s agree for a moment that it’s “impossible” to make money using your passion. (This is very much against my grain, but I’ll do it for the sake of this discussion.) Is there some other way that you can engage this passion in your life? Why not volunteer using your passion? Or maybe you could put it to work to earn a small, but satisfying stream of income on the side.
I know a guy who loves to teach ballroom dancing. You’d never guess it from looking at him! He’s a loveably grumpy wise-cracker who repairs household appliances for a living. He doesn’t get paid all that much for giving dance lessons, but there’s getting money and then there’s getting payment. He has definitely received payment in the form of satisfaction and enjoyment. And then there’s the fact that giving dance lessons is how he met his wife!
Bear Grylls had a near death experience when he was a young person. What a blessing! He got the chance early in his life to see how short and fragile life can be. He obviously believes that his dreams and his passions are worth the risk. Aren’t yours?