by Noah Pollock

Although our journey across the nation comes to an end, in Tucson in 5 days, our most difficult journey has only just begun. In collecting the information we have collected, in experiencing what we have experienced, we learned to take things for what they are. In examining the trees throughout the forest, and minding not the forest itself, we learned to leave over-analysis behind.

It was not always so. Pursue the Passion set out to find what makes people passionate. Perhaps youthful arrogance led us to believe ourselves capable of distilling conversations to their passionate roots. The first leg of the trip, through mid-August, we faithfully executed our original plan. As we continued, our insecurity in the project’s simplicity grew. In retrospect, to believe that we could meet someone for an hour, cut their passion into a two-minute video, then progress to our next meeting, was a serious overestimation of our own abilities.

Dreaming big is always an overestimation. As feelings of doubt in the project mounted, we surveyed more honestly both the task before us, and our own abilities. It was difficult to come to grips with, watching our initial ideal exposed as somewhat frivolous, but we found comfort in several things. We found camaraderie, on the trip, with each other and those we met along the way. We received emails from readers who found genuine inspiration in what we offered. We found an incredible life experience being lived everyday.

What we have found is broken monotony. We departed as overly serious, business minded adventurers, and return humbled by our experiences. As a group, we have grown to support and nurture each other in a way none of us have ever known. What we have to offer is an honest interpretation of our travels, without presumptions of conclusions, which can help to avoid, or break, the mundane working existence. There is no singular, universal passion. Rather, there is an open-mindedness, fortitude and confidence shared among all we have found that is passionate.

One thing I’ve heard time and time again in my interviews is that people often end up in an industry or career position that they never intended to go into.

The same goes with me and blogging. I never would have thought I would be known as a blogger, probably would have bet you the world that I could have never gone from accounting to the newest form of online journalistic expression. But here I am blogging, and yesterday, the reality that I was a blogger set in.

At about 4:45pm on a Monday afternoon I stopped by our future sponsor’s office to show them some video. As I walked to the video office, I passed by someone that called me out as “that blogger guy.”

This was certainly new for me. I had never in my whole entire life been referred to as a “blogger.” The title actually gave me a slight shudder.

Then, after dropping off the video, I made my way towards the exit. To get to the exit you have to walk across a sales floor the size of a Pop Warner football field. You can see the floor from wall to wall because there aren’t any cubicles to block the view.

Just as I entered this large open space I ran into the lady that had called me out as “that blogger guy” no less than fifteen minutes prior. I looked down to avoid eye contact. It didn’t work.

She came over to me and asked me how to pronounce my last name. I said Farmiloe (Far-ma-low), knowing this was about to turn into trouble. Without any warning, she turns to her sales force, which was compiled of about 50-75 people, and loudly gives this announcement:

“Everybody, stop what you are doing because I want you to listen up. It’s a pleasure to introduce one of Arizona’s top bloggers, from Pursue the Passion, Breeeeetttttttt Faaaarrrmmmilllooooooooooooeeeee.”

The entire sales force rose to greet me with a hugely undeserved standing ovation. I felt my face redden of embarrassment as I gave a couple courtesy waves. One guy in front of announced that he read my blog all the time. It was…….an experience.

Point of the story is, sometimes in your career you find yourself categorized into something completely different from what you had originally intended to go into. For me, all I wanted to do is travel the country in a gigantic RV and interview people about their passions.

Now I’m a blogger.