Building a Future

Passion is critical to a fulfilling life. Certain elements in our environment trigger the commitment, drive, determination, and pleasure that enable us to consider those hobbies and pursuits our true passions and callings. Whether those are essential to our current employment, educational endeavors, or efforts to move ahead and achieve in the world around us, they possess a place deep in our hearts and souls, speaking to the faith that lies within us to grow their strength and make them the foundation of future personal success.

One of my passions is writing. I realized this toward the end of my first year in college. Writing was a skill I developed through practice, the scrutiny of hard-nosed English teachers during my Junior High and High Schools days (teachers sorely missed in today's academic environment), and an enjoyment of writing-intensive activities such as journalism. Whether writing myself or learning to analyze and apply the writings of others, I discovered through an elective history class in my second undergraduate semester that my future would benefit from a path that encompassed a daily embrace of this passion. It led me to change my major, and provided the direction for me to take the first step forward on the path that has led to my professional and personal life as it stands today.

In case you are wondering, I am as far from an English or literature major as one can be. The same semester I figured out that writing was the key to my future, I barely passed a basic-level English Literature course. My wife, a Shakespeare aficionado, takes glee in pointing out how I confused characters and plots from Macbeth and King Lear on a midterm. I am familiar with proper grammar, but should never be allowed to teach it. As much as I enjoy blogging or writing letters to the editor, or my brief stints in scholastic journalism, I see no future as a professional member of the press.

Writing is a passion. It is one of my passions. At the same time, I also realized that I had a similar personal affection for problem solving and information gathering, but it had little to do with science or my chosen path at the time in Engineering. Instead, I connected with my longtime loves of public affairs, past and current events, and service to others. Graduating with degrees in history and political science, I did not know exactly how I would bring these interests together. Seeking answers I did not possess, I sought the wisdom of others "trained" to provide guidance on careers and other pursuits. Their options were basic: attend graduate school, teach, sell insurance, or manage a car rental office.

The advice only helped to deter me from choosing the easiest and least attractive of their options. Taking command of my professional future in the same way I redesigned my academic pursuits a few years earlier, I set upon a path of personal development that included graduate school, professional experience that balanced identify a focus for specialization and excellence with familiarization in diverse responsibilities and opportunities, and a daily commitment to improving upon the growth that existed when I woke up. This path led me to now, where I have a job I enjoy that enabled my wife and I to achieve home ownership and start a family.

Despite past and present success, I still approach every day with the intention to learn and improve upon past performance. The adversities I see in my professional pursuits often present new opportunities, and I cannot wait to take on challenges that will present themselves next week and beyond.

None of this means that I am any smarter, better, or more equipped to achieve that anyone else. Being a geek does not make you a sage when it comes to advice. However, my passion to be of service to others encourages me to share what I know and offer some degree of support and guidance for those pursuing their own futures. After some careful consideration, the first, and perhaps best, piece of advice I can offer is to build and grow upon what you started out with everyday. Even if you do not make an extra sale or earn a promotion, you will improve through experience, skill growth, and knowledge that can be applied beyond. You may not "succeed", but you will always achieve.