This idea that we have to turn our back on money to follow our passions is just leading people up the garden path.
I was sitting in a café one day in one of the outer suburbs of Melbourne.
I’d been to check out a potential deal, and I thought I’d get the laptop out and go over the numbers while it was still fresh in my head.
The waitress, who was also the barista, came over and gave me my coffee. She took a look at what I was working on.
“That looks complicated,” she said.
“So does Minecraft,” I joked.
She asked me what I was doing, and I gave her a basic run down.
“And that’s what you do for a living?” she asked.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Got any jobs going?”
I laughed out loud, but then felt bad when I saw that she was a bit embarrassed… or disappointed.
“Sorry. That was rude. It’s just I’ve never got a job application with my coffee before. But we’re not really hiring at the moment… What do you do? …What do you want to do?”
That’s when I got the full run down. The café gig was just her way of making ends meet. But what she really wanted to do was make music. She’s a solo singer/songwriter. I’ve got her website written down somewhere.
She said it’s hard to find work that can pay her enough to support her habit. Touring is expensive. Recording and making albums is expensive.
So she needs a job that pays more.
But she also needs a job that gives her the time she needs to gig, tour and make albums.
“Sounds like you want my job, love.”
She laughed.
But I said I wasn’t really joking. Property investing is a gig you can do from the road. And I’ve seen a lot of people with less time and less wealth behind them make a good fist of it.
“When do I start?” she says.
“In about 12 months time,” I say. “Maybe 6 if you’re super, super keen. That’s about how long it takes for people to master the materials, find a money partner and start doing deals.”
“But I need the money now. I’ve got this awesome producer who wants to work with me. All I have to do is pay for studio hire…”
“Have you tried lotto tickets?” I said.
She laughed but I wasn’t going to push the point. Her call, and I know property isn’t for everyone.
And she was determined to ‘follow her passion’ and trust that the money will come later.
And who am I to argue with a thousand self-help gurus?
Personally, I’ve never understood why ‘money’ and ‘passion’ are seen to be opposite sides of the same coin. Like creating space for one excludes space for the other.
How many passions are there out there that don’t require money – at least in the start up phase?
From where I stood, she was making a terrible financial decision. I’m sure she wasn’t earning much in that café. But she could create an exit for herself. Take the spare time she currently has and invest it in financial education rather than her music.
… for a while.
Ok, at this point I can hear my inbox filling up with people telling me that you shouldn’t be telling idealistic girls to sell out their dreams for financial security.
But that’s not what I’m doing. I’m not telling her to go and get a real job. I’m telling her to find the right tool for the right job.
Music is a long-haul, and it’s going to be a long while before it starts paying off, if ever.
In the mean-time you need a tool to help sustain you through the lean years.
Working is a café is one such tool, but a pretty useless one if you ask me. That seemed to be her opinion too.
Property investing on the other hand is a great tool to use in this situation. You can get into the game with little experience or equity behind you, and in a few short years, you’ll have the time and income stream to do whatever you want.
(Ok, I know I’m talking my book here, but you get the point. I’m sure there are plenty of strategies just like property investing. Google them and tell me about it.)
In my mind, a financial strategy is not a substitute for your passions. A financial strategy is the key to fulfilling your passions.
But it seems we have this idea that radical life moves should be reserved for ‘running away and joining the circus’ type life decisions.
If I quit my job and buy a guitar, people will pat me on the back and congratulate me for “living the dream”.
But if I quit my job and buy a successful bakery franchise so in a few years I can build my own recording studio, I’m a sell out.
It’s garbage.
Place your financial strategy in service to your passions. Then, if you’re giving energy to your strategy, you’re giving energy to your passions. Simple.
This idea that money and passion should never mix is just leading people astray. Following your passions 100% is incredibly demanding.
It’s a tough road already. Why add poverty to the mix?
(I left her a decent tip.)
Have you placed your financial strategy in service to your passions? How is it working out?
ron goddard says
i was waiting for the tip jonno. nicely put. remembering always to maintain the passion. thats most important.and for goodness sake forget about being too positive. this can lead to so many disappointments. be humble and learn from the experts(if they are successful) . the Laws of the country allow us to do many ‘lawful’ things. if there is no law, then there is lawlessness and nobody wins. some people exploit the laws but end up in a mess.
right now my passion is very strong, but how will it be tomorrow? my addiction is if you are having a rough time keep working it, as the gods (lol) will allow you to do many things you never thought of. my wife says, clever girl, ‘darling you cannot say things for other people, they run their own lives. if they want to drive too fast or do stupid things you can’t help them’. and she comes from northern thailand and left school at 12 years to cut sugar cane for 24 years, 11 hours a day, seven days a week. last time she cut before i stopped her she was earning 220 baht a day, about AU$8.00. we have so many opportunities in our country. you have done well jonno, keep at it.
Dorothy A Pilgrim says
Ahhh Jon… Passion and Money…. what you say is right… most people never really plan anything…they do a JOB in spite of their passion and loose sight of their WHY…..and I love that you left her a nice tip…
Geoff Sykes says
Hi Jon
Good practical advice , I hope the young lady took it on board!
I am disappointed – I was expecting you to take us on a feel good career path journey through this persons life and explain how she became “Lady GaGa” and Gina Reinhardt all at the same time and lived happily ever after – but not to be.
Seriously Jon – there is no substitute when building or maintaining a business (no matter what it is) for experience and perseverance – your business included. It’s not luck it’s hard bloody work and if ‘one’ cant take the pitfalls which come with it at every stage – then ‘one’ shouldn’t be there!!
The essential point which perhaps you neglected to explain to her was the how to – and please don’t think in saying that, I am trying to be the wise man who can’t resist the temptation to embellish a story more than its original intent – but the brave souls starting out in business need to know of the huge chasm (I call it the Grand Canyon) existing between concept and implementation. It is savage and has swallowed up many a brilliant thought long before thought became realism.
Training and development should focus on that aspect of careers advice to a far greater extent than it does otherwise it is not serving the purpose for which adult education is intended. The road is “full of potholes” as you so correctly pointed out and the journey very expensive without a decent mentor or an experienced and skilled ally.
KiwiAl says
HeHee. I’m gonna get flamed for this!
Right now, early afternoon, I’m sitting at home replying to your latest, while my wife is at work! In her J.O.B.
It’s working out great! Except that she keeps giving me lists of tasks every morning, and I’ve yet to end the day with a cleared list… Ya just can’t have EVERYTHING. At least, not until you’re the last person alive, and what fun that would be.
ron goddard says
lets hope we are alive after 19/12. big powwow in america land. trump(elect) has yet to be confirmed and already the war drums are a beating. hillary and soros are not done yet!! you see that the election of trump has not been ratified and hillary is mustering support for a late run at some ‘doubtful’ states.
she is mustering demonstrators by the thousand(paid of course) and the military(under, still dictator) obama. the m.s.m. in u.s.a. has lost all respectability with 95% of the american public. nobody believes the trash they print anymore. their credibility is gone, but the oz press hasn’t caught on yet lol. so the mushrooms here still believe in hillary. amazing !!! and still regard trump as a buffoon; not realising that
he is the one man standing between freedom and slavery in u.s.a.(us too), cos we are joined at the hip with america. are we in the noor? you only believe what you want to believe.
felice says
I’m hearing you 🙂
Am a fine arts artist. My husband who has been my benefactor, attended D Boholt’s course back in 2014. The experience was very encouraging and insightful that I was encouraged to join him attend M Rolton’s Options boot camp back in July and Conclave last November. Options just changed my paradigm of thinking.
I used to think like the musician at the café, however, I was accepting tutorials and commissioned work instead of making coffee. On the last day of options boot camp, I was convinced ( much to my husband’s delight and relief) that I was wasting my time doing art coaching and accepting commissioned work that I didn’t want to do just because I need cash to support my passion.
Currently we are using our time in applying and undertaking tasks towards the goals that we have set in investing as well as advancing my skills as an artist.
Jon Giaan says
fantastic story. thanks for sharing! Look forward to whatever art comes through you from here on.