I have known my friend Cliff since we were 16. When he was a teenager he spent most of his time with his head under the hood the cars he loved to customize. (Cameros and Firebirds - late 60's - sweet)
When he got married and bought a house he renovated most of it, built incredible custom kitchen cabinets and an insulated, heated garage that cleverly connected with the basement of the house. It’s what he does. Fix, build, create, tinker.
When it was time to select a career he never considered turning what he loved into his livelihood. Who did that? Our dads certainly didn't do what they loved.
Instead Cliff worked in the corporate world for years, was good at his job and it was okay but he didn't love it. One day someone else made a decision for him and when his job came to a sudden end he had to make what he loved into what he did.
Over the last few years he has earned a well-deserved reputation as a master craftsman and he makes way more dough than he did in a "real" job, he works fewer hours and he only takes the jobs he really wants to do.
He said that if his high school wood shop teacher had noticed how intrigued he was by a dovetail joint and maybe shown him more cool stuff, or even mentored him, then he wouldn’t have had to waste 25 years doing something he didn’t like much. That's a mighty long period of time to feel went to waste.
My nine year daughter told me about a quote she had read recently: "Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life."
I promised her I would do everything in my power to help her find her passion and nurture it so she might enjoy her days without them ever feeling like work.
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