Yes, Wayne I know it can be difficult to focus on work we love to do when we feel pressure to just put food on the table. At times we have to focus on the marketable skills we have that can provide income while we continue to search for ways to work in our passions. You should be commended for striving to care for your family and help others.

Thanks Matthew, yes, that’s right. In my experience, when we unselfishly serve and add value to others we can truly feel a deep sense of reward.

I love the way you frame what you love to do Dave. Yes, you can have a passion for teaching and you can apply that in many different settings and roles. It’s quite empowering to understand how your passion can be applied in so many different ways.

Thanks Jenny. Yes, sometimes we have to truly dig deep to understand what we’re truly passionate about.

In Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan, Spock heroically sacrifices himself in order to save a starship full of people. His reason – “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Kirk adds, “Or the one.”

That’s a very Confucian philosophy. In Eastern though, individuals have an obligation to their families which takes priority over their own aspirations. And families have an obligation to society.

Star Trek III – The Search for Spock illustrates the Western counterpoint. In that movie, Kirk hijacks a starship in order to go searching for a way to bring Spock back to life. In doing so, he endangers more lives than Spock originally saved. Why? “Because the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many.” That’s a very concise way to sum up much of modern Western thinking. We want life to be all about us or at least all about the people and things we care about.

As Adam points out in this post, searching for one’s own passion can often result in tension between selfish and selfless desires. And I agree that the optimal combination is to find something you care deeply about that both provides and income stream and benefits other people in some way. That way you can work at something that gives you pleasure and a sense of accomplishment while also knowing you’ve helped someone else in some way.

My own strongest passion is to teach others. I can do that in any setting. As a Marine NCO, I sometimes showed younger Marines the most efficient ways to sweep floors and clean toilets. As a computer consultant, I have shown a customer how to design a $6 million computer system that outperforms the $10 million system they designed on their own.

In terms of following my passion, both experiences gave me pleasure and a similar sense of accomplishment. In terms of work being gainful employment, however, there’s a huge difference between the two. The income streams are immensely different.

I have never met someone whose passion was limited to performing a specific task such as working in a machine shop making bolts but not nuts. We all seem to have a wide variety of jobs that would allow us to live out our passions. Choosing work that also benefits others at the same time makes life sweeter and more fulfilling.

Thanks for the post, Adam. I hope many readers follow your advice.