The other day while surfing the internet I came across a quote from Tommy Lasorda that really resonated with me. “If you love your job, you haven’t worked a day in your life.”
This is such a great quote because it is so true and I believe that many, if not all of us, can relate. We all want to find a place that allows us to work using our passion to help others. For me, that passion is action sports.
At a young age we are all told to follow our dreams and that we can be anything that we want. But there comes a time that we realize that maybe we won’t be the next superstar or greatest athlete ever. What do we do from there? For many of us this reflection leads us to go to college and get a degree in business or another open-ended field. At least this was the way my life was heading.
The time from college to full time career seemed way too short and after several years of working at my “career,” I still felt that inner desire that was so strong as a child. After much soul searching I reached a decision to resign from my position and follow my passion for action sports. I hoped that doing this would allow me to become successful, controlling my own destiny along with the ability to love my career.
Let’s rewind about 14 years to when I started racing. All that mattered to me was racing dirt bikes, snowboarding, and biking. Motocross was my main passion and I was able to make my way through the novice and amateur classes placing me in the expert or A class. Here I was able have some luck and do well in the Western New York series.
When it came time to get a job and start moving forward I left motocross behind. Not because I wanted to, but with increased working hours and other priorities, riding seemed to become harder and harder to do. After an extended period of time not on the bike I began to forget the pure joy and happiness that motocross can bring someone.
I left my career to follow my dreams and the passion that I have for the action sports. At first I didn’t know what I wanted to do. All I knew is that I want to be able to help others who shared the same love for the sports and activities that I did, but how? When I finally realized that I wanted to offer eyewear there was so much more to it than just selling a product. Surrounding any sport there is a web of people that come together week in and week out to help each other and enjoy that weekend’s events. Whether it is motocross, skiing, snowboarding, skating, or any other sporting activity the people at these events can become like family.
Starting a sport that you are unfamiliar with can often be challenging. Unless you have someone who is familiar with the equipment and the sport overall the only way to learn is by going to events and talking with people first hand. I like to refer to this as learning the hard way because it takes time, often a lot of time to perfect.
When deciding to go out on my own it was not with the focus of selling a product. My focus is connecting with people, sharing my experiences to help others progress further and faster, and to love what I do. I can honestly say that everyday I am able to wake up and look forward to working, although work is such as derogatory term for something that I love to do.
I believe that sports are such a great way for people of all ages to come together with others who share their same passions. Sports help unite people and create lifetime friendships that no other activities or events can do.
If your life is filled with joy and passion, those emotions tend to radiate outward and will positively affect others.
I challenge everyone to live by Tommy Lasorda’s quote: “If you love your job, you haven’t worked a day in your life.” Listening to my inner self and starting my own action sports eyewear business was one of the best things I have do thus far in my life. It allows me the opportunity to work with people who posses the same passion as I do along with help younger athletes gain a competitive edge in their sport.
Are you fulfilled with your current environment? What would be your dream job?
If you answer these questions with positions and jobs that you are currently not doing, get out there and do what you love. The first step is always the hardest.
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