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As a young man, I had the benefit of living in a suburb where I could walk up and down the street and find work. I literally would knock on doors and find jobs. Whether it was mowing lawns, painting (highly profitable because so many of us hate it!) or landscaping ( a personal favorite of mine) I was always able to find work.
Eventually, I settled into a routine of work that I focused on, during the week I would work for neighbors doing gardening, and on the weekends I would pick up catering gigs at night – which really meant helping a host serve and then clean up.
Today I practice law and podcast while I build my passion for speaking and writing. I’ve written five books and have two more almost done. I’ve spoken to groups as small as three and as large as 150 people. I’m headed this February to Auckland to speak to the Global Speakers Summit and the New Zealand Psychological Association.
For me, speaking is no longer part of my job, I want it to BE my job. It opens me up to different topics, different industries, and different people. I love the feeling when I have reached someone’s heart and mind. Being able to carry a message, whether it’s about podcasting for professionals or motivating people to forgive themselves and others, is an exhilarating experience for me. It’s most definitely a passion.
This speaking passion has driven me to become a professional member of the National Speakers Association. It has pushed me to spend hours crafting good speeches, and more importantly flopping miserably with bad ones to learn what to avoid. My love for the profession of public speaking ignited a fire for learning in ways other hobbies haven’t. This passion will lead me to travel the world, share my experiences with podcasting as a digital marketing tool, and allow me to meet and cherish new friends.
It’s not easy. This passion has required time, money and saying no to other things I love, but that is what all successful passion seekers must do, and here’s the secret – because it’s not easy, it means it’s worth the effort.
Find your passion, make the sacrifices needed to follow it to a new, unseen destination. You can make any passion into a career, it may take some additional effort, and an additional pair of eyes, but you can do it. I encourage you to reach out, take the risk and see what your passion will lead you to.
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Photo credit: Getty Images