FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION

From the desk of Ray Kurzwell, Inventor & Futurist:

"We’ve seen a migration away from jobs that involve extending our bodies. At the beginning of the 20th century, 30% of the population worked on farms and 30% worked in factories. Those figures are now down to 3% each. So we’ve seen a profound shift there already. Increasingly, professions involve expanding the reach of our minds and creating knowledge. Knowledge in very broad forms, whether the knowledge is music or art or culture or writing or science or technology. Increasingly that’s where our work efforts will be directed.

I think people should go with their passion. If they really have a passion for art, we’ve seen a great empowering of the arts through technology. There’s a tremendous need for creating graphics and so on. I know artists that could hardly make a living who are now in tremendous demand as Web designers. It does pay to learn skills to be able to express ones passion in the vernacular and technology of the times. I do have exposure to a variety of fields, and it’s remarkable to me how technically sophisticated every field is becoming, from library science to music to art to certainly science and technology."


I recall several years ago attending a seminar with the renowned speaker and mentor Jim Rohn. He asked us all what we did for a living and the responses ranged from chartered accountant to broadcaster. I was the broadcaster. He then asked us what we liked to do most when we were 10 years old. Everyone's face lit up as we went around the room telling each other's stories. I recalled that when I was ten, my father built a makeshift radio station in our den...with an amplifier and record player to spin records like a real DJ. It was there in my make believe radio station broadcasting to my Mother on a 9 inch speaker in the kitchen that I found true happiness. With my Mom as my #1 fan I did indeed find my true passion.

His theory was that whatever we loved to do when we were ten years old, at some point we will wind up doing that, which in turn will become our true passion and our greatest enjoyment. Until then we are just doing our job. What did you love to do when you were ten years old?

Buddha says: "Deeds done in harmony with one's path of life are those which bring clarity and peace and harmony to the doer".