Passion or Profit: Can ideas our parents had about employment get us ahead today?

Do we have to give up on our dreams in order to make a living? Do we have to sacrifice passion for profit?

In the days of my grandparents ...and even my parents, the philosophy for employment was to "hold down a good job" and provide for your family. In many instances this "good job" was for life. I have a relative who worked at the same company for 50 years; and he reveled in the fact that he had only taken one or two sick days during this half century. 

By my age, my father had already bought a house an  a vehicle (out right; no car loans); at my age, my mother had already moved out on her own, bought all her furniture (some we still use today) and - she didn't know yet- but in the next year she would have me :)! 

I have become friends, perhaps acquaintances would be more accurate to use here, with a few people that are from my parents`generation and -without fail- they all believe in buckling down with a good job and building your future. The "dream" here then, is to find a job with decent enough benefits and stay long enough to "earn" your pension - and just live. 

My father however, had an alternative take on this and went about life a bit differently. He did find a job - and in the long-run it became more than one job - which he used to "build a future". All of these jobs were with the government in some capacity (so, very secure). He did this until he decided he wanted to start his own business. This was a slightly more "innovative" idea among his family members at the time. 

Is the answer to getting "ahead" in life (gaining success and achieving financial freedom) really about staying in your lane and building from your one, faithful job -saving for the future of your dreams? Or can you perhaps combine them and use the profits made from your pencil-pushing profession to propel you into your passion?

"Following dreams" and having a "passion" for a particular career or business venture was not an option for many of our parents, not to mention our grandparents. My paternal grandfather was a farmer, end of story. My maternal grandfather, on the other hand, worked in a hardware store and taught people how to drive on weekends. This wasn't so much about having a  "passion" for driving, as it was about making more money to provide for his growing family. 

Both my mother and father said they never knew they were poor, but looking back on it "I suppose we were poor". Growing up seeing their parents' frugality undoubtedly affected them. My mother was able to buy all the furniture to move out and save for a few months rent, before moving out when she finished business school. While, Daddy found creative meals to eat so he could save money to pay rent, and still occasionally go for a drink.

They both believe heavily in saving, and I became a kind of Saving Ninja (in my younger years, let's not talk about how online shopping has changed my life); but, both in different ways. My mother is the very traditional saver - banks, partner draws, and such delights. She isn't too keen on investment portfolios and things of that nature. My father believes in diversifying your saving options.

This dual approach to saving, employment and the pursuit of passion has helped me to be a bit more balanced and has really assisted in navigating the world of work and the journey to my purpose.

What this means, is that our answer to getting ahead may not lie solely in the one, faithful job (in which you should stay to "earn" your pension) but in also finding our passion and finding ways for our passion to make us profits. 

Our predecessors stayed in jobs they didn't like for years, decades even, to ensure that we could have a choice. We can choose to leave that job we are not passionate about, and find something that better aligns with our values. We don`t have to choose between passion and profit, we can have both!

This may not look the same for everyone, and I am not telling you to quit your one, faithful job. I am simply saying we can have both. In the way my father and many others before him were able to do what they had to before they could do what they wanted - you have the choice to do what you like to do until you can do what you love to do. 

You may choose profit over passion and be able to save lots of money, and that`s completely your choice. It may come at the expense of our happiness - but we are free to choose. 

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Listen to the podcast to hear a personal story about one instance in particular where I chose passion over profit.