It’s not about money. It’s about lifestyle.
May 24, 2007 | by brett | Permalink
Over the past few weeks I’ve sought explanations from friends, forums, and family to answer to my question of “What is preventing people from pursuing their passion?” The result?
“Money is the fundamental reason of why people are not pursuing their passion.”
No big surprise, right? But as I started to analyze these answers, I began to identify the one common theme that stood out.
It’s not about money. It’s about lifestyle.
For me, the money coming from a corporate job was not a tough thing to say goodbye to. This wasn’t because I had a nice, plush bank account waiting for me, but because I had pre-determined my lifestyle plan. I had made up my mind that I could give up shopping at Trader Joe’s for standard Fry’s food. I knew that by leaving my job I would be giving up going out on Saturdays so I could pay the electric bill. I decided that I could completely adjust the way I lived and give up the habits I’d adopted. In the end, living with passion and finding fulfillment in work would more than make up for the lack of money and material things.
I’ve noticed a sacrifice in the lifestyle changes of people I’ve interviewed as well, some being more extreme than others. Adrian Russell-Falla lived for two years being hounded by creditors. He had a significant amount of debt that ran on multiple credit cards, and had to go to dire extents just to pay employees. Jen Hankee decided that she wanted to go back to school to become an interior designer, and knew that she would have to adjust her lifestyle to accommodate student loans. Barry Moltz started a business weeks after his first son was born without knowing whether or not the business would be successful enough to meet the standards of day to day living.
The lack of money is not what is holding people back, but it is the fear of going without it. It is a case of trading job security for passionate pursuits. It is the mending of habits for certain change. It is the case of fearing you will be worse off than before if you risk losing it all. But what most people don’t see when evaluating this decision is that being worse off financially, does not always mean that you will be worse off in life.
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THERE ARE 6 RESPONSES TO THIS INTERVIEW
Danielle Says:
May 24th, 2007
I think this has to be my favorite of your posts so far. Sent the link to my coworkers.
My mom keeps about a month’s worth of salary in a savings account. One time she hated her job so much she finally just quit, knowing she had that month to find a new job. Around week 5, things started to get kind of scary. But she managed to get in with a company that had serious growth potential in the education publishing market.
Like you said, it’s about deciding what’s more important to you in the long run.
Janae Says:
May 24th, 2007
See for me… it’s the opposite… I don’t have a fear of what’s out there…. but… I do have a fear I am going to run out of money. Probably, because I just keep spending it to volunteer. That;s were Pursue the Passion comes in. I have to find a way to correlate the two.
Eric Says:
May 30th, 2007
Solid advice 
Steve Says:
June 7th, 2007
You make a great point. The fear of not having money in exchange for breaking out of a boring, passionless career would seem to be the key fear. It’s really the fear of the unknown. The funny thing is that where passion is, productivity resides also. “A bird in the hand…” you know. Let me say that your tour and passion has encouraged me to step out in faith and go for what really has excited me in my career. I think there is a strong possibility that letting go of a bird in the hand could get me the two in the bush. That said, life is short. You might as well go for it. If you don’t, who will? Thanks for inspiring me.
Pat Gallagher Says:
June 7th, 2007
Pursuing a passion doesn’t necessarily mean not having money…it is possible to have both eventually. Financial rewards tend to find people who let the passion and the discipline to be realistic about it guide them rather than settling for something less. You have to get your head, heart, and gut synchronized.
Jenn Says:
June 9th, 2007
I see working for money as putting off your own happiness. It becomes a downward spiral: if I put in a little overtime, I can afford that new car. If I go in on weekends, I can put a down payment on that house. If I work till I’m 70, I can retire happy. Why wait till you retire to be happy, and what makes people think that the new car, big house or ‘the good life’ will make them happy. Why not be happy today. Why not take the time to work to do something you love rather than work to get something out of it. We never know how many tomorrows we are going to have, we are only guaranteed today; each tomorrow is a gift.
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