How many of us can honestly say that we absolutely love what we do for a living?
Some say that you can love your job, but your job will never love you back in the same way. Not so, according to a panel of successful business people who spoke at Ryerson business school's CEO Outlook conference that I attended today.
Loving your job is the nirvana of success, and almost all great business people share this one trait. These people are not driven by ego, but by a simple love for the day-to-day rewards gifted to them by the path they've chosen in life.
Ken Field, a lawyer-turned-investor who was instrumental in turning Bramalea Ltd. into a real estate development powerhouse, drove this point home during a panel discussion on entrepreneurism. At every turn of conversation he ended with the same theme - you must fall in love... with what you do.
You could see it in the eyes of the panelists as they spoke. Their passion for business pursuits resonated throughout the auditorium.
The audience members were all dressed in business attire and looking very sharp. Even the Ryerson MBA students in attendance blew the dust off their best Banana Republic gear (lest they dampen their networking opportunities by leaving a bad first impression on a potential business mogul who could help their fledgling career). After chatting with some of the attendees and overhearing a few conversations, it was clear that everyone in the room felt for one reason or another that their entire existence would be defined by the amount of money they made before they die. Well, good on them (or their proud parents) for embracing capitalism whole heartedly! But in my opinion, they have it wrong. The message being delivered wasn't about how to make money. Even Field himself said he never really thought of himself as an entrepreneur. Fred DeGasperis, a poor Italian immigrant who made millions on building sewers, said that success for him was building things and owning a lot of bulldozers. The money, it seemed, was just a bonus - a simple byproduct of being in love.
Hmm.. makes sense, but what about everyone else in the world? Not everyone is suited for business, whether it be as a result of a lack of access to funds, education, or any of the other many ills from the fallout of economic prosperity. None of these successful Canadians pointed to any direct answers, but as I listened I couldn't help but to wonder what the universally acceptable definition of "success" really is.
After traveling for 6 months in developing countries I concluded that wealth cannot be measured by money... or at least not money in itself. I met some very smart people on my travels (one of them being a 9 year old shop keeper who's negotiating skills rivaled any business school graduate) and all managed to make just a little bit more money than their peers. These people were poor by western standards, but they were all extremely thankful to their respective gods for being so fortunate. They were happy for the position they were in and genuinely saw this as a true blessing. Their expressions radiated in brilliance the same as the "successful" members of the Canadian business community attending today's conference.
Success, just like happiness, is a relative concept that doesn't necessarily mean monetary wealth. Many of us, however, fall into the trap of choosing jobs or careers that make us the most money but we are only mildly interested in. After all, loving what you do is great, but being poor sucks, right? I disagree, and so would many who ditched their well-paying jobs for doing what they love. When you are in love, the world seems a little brighter... your problems seem a little less important... and each day you can't wait to spend time with the thing you are in love with.
What you do may not be making you a lot of money, but all the rich people in the world would tell you to stay the course. If you are in love then the money will come. Conversely, if you are stuck in a job that you do not love, get to love it. Pick out elements of your job which resonate with your personality and focus on those. All of the negative aspects of your job should be viewed as simple hurdles you need to jump in order to get to do what you really want to do.
NOTE: To view the web cast of the CEO Outlook go to http://www.ryecast.ryerson.ca/dmpstreams/tedrogers/index.asp