Do Passions Lead to Financial Success?

Family reunions often lead to all sorts of discussions for us. During the last one, it was my nephew who brought up something to think about.

A well-intentioned woman came to his school to present them “Professional Studies,” as we call them here. These are professions that you can learn right after high school and that you don’t have to go to College or University for.

From a financial perspective, some of these professions can lead to a decent lifestyle with enough money to pay for essential needs, and a little more. But let’s be honest. When thinking about someone who is financially successful, for most people, the image of a plumber or a hairdresser won’t come to mind. Trust me, I have nothing against such jobs. My Husband is an iron worker. I admire his work and have much respect for people who do all types of “uneasy” jobs.

With that said, it soon created a little debate around the table about what we should present to our kids or not. About what is a good job or not. The aspect of passion was brought up, of course.

“Do What You Love and Money Will Follow”

Ever heard that expression? I’m sure you have! Who hasn’t? But, really. Is it true?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a strong believer that anyone can do anything. But how much can this be applied in reality? Because at the end of the month, we all have bills to pay and it is quite hard to get rid of those without an income.

It takes less than two seconds to think about all these people who started with nothing, but built empires. Not all of them have Master’s or Doctoral degrees hanging on their walls. Many of them are without college degrees. Some went the traditional hard-working way and just succeeded. They created their own jobs, business, and success stories.

I guess that is what we call the American Dream.

But sometimes, reality strikes back. My nephew for example. He’s a soccer player– a good one, too. His dream job for now (he’s almost 10) is to be a professional soccer player. Maybe, with hard work and dedication, he will succeed. Maybe he will not worry about money being a soccer player. We’d all wish for his dream to come true.

But maybe, despite the work, the effort, the dedication, the sacrifices, the “I believe,” maybe he just won’t make it. Maybe he just won’t be good enough. Even after years of doing what he loves, the money may not necessarily follow. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth trying!

It All Depends

If you’re aiming to own a house in the US or in Canada and have a villa in Costa Rica at the same time, plus a family of your own, a nice car and, of course, time with your beloved ones, you better have a really great paying job! Or win the lottery… but please, don’t count on that! 😉

Your passion might be horseback riding like myself, or repairing cars, or dentistry. But the reality is, in order to achieve remarkable financial success, you have to be in the 1% of people who do things differently and find a way to succeed where others didn’t. That is pretty rare. Not impossible, but still rare.

On the other hand, if financial success means a travel here and there (or not), a decent house (or not) and a good car (or not), you might be more than fine applying for that professional study.

Not everyone wants the same thing. Not everyone is capable of the same thing either. It all depends. Financial success, in reality, is relative. Relative to your dreams, your passions and your needs.