Have you found that thing you wanted to do in life? Was this the reason you were born, or just something you like to do sometimes to pass the day? There are many unhappy workers today, even though they are making more money than ever. People are getting overworked and burned out before they retire. They are tired of the everyday hustle but keep going to the same dead-end job each day. Their days began to look numbered and faded. I’ll ask again. Are you doing what you were meant to do, or are you just settling for what is on your plate?
You only get one life, so you better get to live it to the fullest because, unfortunately, we cannot live forever. Before bed one night, I was watching a short clip of The Steve Harvey Show, and he said something that rang out to me. He told people to stop following their passion and follow their gift. In his defense, he did not mean that your passion and your gift cannot align, but this illustrates the concept of passion vs. gift, as I can share my own experience of choosing passions over my gift in college.
I went to a college-prep high school, so college was always something I had planned for myself. In high school, I excelled in my math classes and accounting classes, so much so that I was offered a summer internship in finance and accounting. My plan was simple at the time. It was to make money in accounting and then step into a teaching career. I would tell people that I wanted to get a double major, and the first was going to be my money maker, and the next was going to be my gift. I was caught in the belief that the job I was choosing at the time would get me rich quickly.
After two years of finance and accounting, I lost my way. I did not have the same spark as I once did for going to work. Balancing someone else’s books and living behind a desk while staring at a computer screen with little human interaction was not appealing to me. I wanted something more hands-on but did not know how to get it. At that time, I decided to change my major to General studies until I could figure out what I wanted to do. This point in life is how I found my next passion.
I started to play guitar in my second year of college, and I fell in love with that instrument. I would practice for eight hours or more each day. All I wanted to do was eat, breathe, and live guitar. I was only around 20 at the time, so it was too early for my mid-life crisis, so I called it my passion. I loved to play guitar, but I lacked the skills that someone who has been playing since a young age had. That didn’t stop me, though. I knew how to become an amazing guitar player quickly.
There is a belief that if you want to be something, then you should hang around the people who already have it. Whether it be money or a certain skill, these people will set the universe in the direction you need to aim, and all you have to do is keep moving. At this point, I called the music club supervisor at my college, and we spoke about when they held practice (jam sessions), and I told him that I was a beginner. He told me that that was fine and to just come in on the next club day. This man was Mr. Williams and he was my first mentor in my musical development.
As time went on in the club, I practiced and learned from many other musicians. I even played on stage several times for campus events and through my hard work and determination, I became the president of the music club. I grew the club to more than it was when I started, and when I left for another college to finish my degree, I knew I could not forget Mr. Williams.
Years went on, and graduation for my bachelor’s started to approach, and all music majors had to perform a recital before graduation. I tried my hardest not to perform at the recital because playing for large groups of people was something I started to shy away from. I just wanted to teach music at the time, but it didn’t matter what I taught. In all honesty, I even had the running joke that if there were a job to teach people how to tie shoes, I would do that. I later learned that that job was as a kindergarten teacher during my first year at the elementary level.
Looking back at my recital, it went on without a hitch. The music was great, and all the patrons who came out to support me were very happy they came to attend. I was pleased that I didn’t back out from the recital and completed it. One of the patrons in the audience was Mr. Williams. I went in person a month before my recital to hand-deliver an invitation to him. He was one of the biggest supporters of my music career. After that day, I learned some lessons from my first guitar teacher and was on my way to learning from other great master teachers in the field.
I was following my passion in college, but this passion also helped me find my gift. I was an outstanding teacher. I even went on to get my master’s in education. On the other hand, my music skills still needed to improve to be a more effective teacher. It worked out in the long run, but in the beginning, I was terrible. My saving graces were some amazing teachers and mentors I had who showed me the light, so to speak. I was able to be an effective teacher after learning how to interact with the youth.
I loved working with the students. They were a blank canvas on which I could create a masterpiece and also build a foundation that they could use to build a strong life upon. This was the same for adults who have a painting that is almost complete. The paintings they had might have some errors or needed some touch-ups. I think Bob Ross said it the best, “We don’t make mistakes; we have happy accidents.” In life, those mistakes might not be all nice and cherry at the moment, but they are valuable life lessons and opportunities for you to learn. That is the start of living.
When I look at what I want in life, I now first make sure it aligns with my gift of teaching and helping others. I want to teach people about life and how important life choices are in shaping our paths. I want to bring the best out in people, and I want every one of them to know how special and consequential they are. Also, that impossible is possible. Just because it has never been done before doesn’t mean it cannot be done. If you have something in your head and you believe you can do it, then never let anyone in the world tell you otherwise. You will be the person who makes that impossible possible.
If you find that you are not following your passion or your gift, do not fear. No guideline says you have to find your purpose quickly. It would be great to do something in life you love and enjoy doing each day. Waking up to go to work should not be something you resent but rather something you are excited you get to do. I assumed that music was what I was meant to do in life, but it was teaching. I let my passion at the time take control and put me on a path I did not need to be on. I found I wanted more than just to be a music teacher. I wanted to make a bigger impact in the world.
At the end of the day, if you stay true to why you were born, it will manifest into something great. You will start to develop an optimistic mindset. You will treat each day as another opportunity to get further than you are and accomplish your goals. Your gift will get you there one way or another. Your passion is the flare that gives your gift the life it needs, but it should be second to what makes you shine. If you need help finding your gift, please comment below or email me. We will walk through it together, so you can have a better understanding of how you can make a bigger impact in your life and the world.
Until then,
Michael Rearden
Founder of Reven Concepts