“Do What You Love,” They Said

do what you loveYou’ve probably heard the age-old advice. Do what you love and the money will come to you. This is a saying that has been around for a long time.

Adults often advice kids going into college to do what they love.

While it is true that life is short and that you don’t want a job you hate, it isn’t always true that the money comes pouring in because you’re doing what you love.

Do What You Love, But Have a Backup Plan

I am so thankful for my dad and his wise advice over the years. He always told me to have a backup plan. When I told him I wanted to get a teaching degree, he asked what my backup plan was. Essentially, what would I do if I couldn’t find a teaching job. As a matter of fact, the year I graduated with the hardest degree to find a teaching job in (secondary English), there were few jobs to be had.

Today, I live in a community that has a school of education right up the road and tends to hire people they know (you know, the art teacher’s niece who grew up in this town but maybe didn’t even major in English in school). That means that unless I want to either sub until I’m 80 (I don’t), or take a job in the inner city (too far to drive), then I am not getting a teaching job ever. Not unless I want to move away.

So, his backup plan advice was actually excellent and caused me to develop some skills with computers and office skills that I might not otherwise have developed.

Make Time for What You Love

Instead of advising you, dear readers, to do what you love, I am going to advise you to make time for what you love. More than likely, you are not going to make much money when you first start writing. It takes a long time to build up a livable income and even then it can be sporadic. You may be forced to work a 9 to 5 job.

However, don’t give up on what you love. Nearly anyone can carve out 15 minutes a day. Take that 15 minutes and work on a book. In a year, you’ll a novel completed if you write just one page a day.

Never quit. Never give up. That is the true key to success and to one day doing what you love and making a living at it.