When puppies really are your passion.

It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot

I hear these kind of quotes all the time and read them regularly in LinkedIn posts. I'm sure you do, too. "Do what you love, and the money will follow." "Find your passion, and it'll never feel like work." The cliched phrases go on & on, but the bottom line is this: we're generally taught at a young age that if we work hard at something we love, we'll be able to make a living & have a nice life.

So it feels somewhat deflating when you discover your passion, but can't figure out how to turn it into something called a career & one that pays you enough money to live.

I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've been taking stock of my colleagues & friends. Some go to work, punching into an imaginary time clock at 8:59 am (or, more likely, 9:07), walking around in a zombie-like daze until 4:59 (or 4:42), and never really engaging in their work, their colleagues or their passion.

And then for some, work never stops. They're on 24/7, they can't look away from their work because their work is their life. I don't mean that in a bad way (though some really do take it too far). In my experience, those people are truly passionate about what they do, and even when they feign exhaustion, they really thrive under the pressure of their jobs.

And then there's the rest of us, falling somewhere in between. Long ago, I realized that I would likely not be able to parlay one of my passions (theatre) into a paying career, unless I wanted to eat ramen (not the fancy kind, but the 10-for-$1 kind) and have 5 roommates in a studio apartment in NYC. Some of the best advice my beloved acting teacher gave me was this: "if you are capable of doing something else, anything else, besides acting... do it." Alas, I knew I was not destined for EGOT status, so I had to find that something else.

Thankfully, I found a few things. Most notably, I realized how much I love writing, and I try to incorporate it into my job whenever possible. I take on content creation even though it's not my job currently, but I welcome it because it's fun for me. And truthfully, it's pretty easy. Words flow on the page or the screen very naturally for me. I can take on a voice & tone that is not my own with ease. And I infuse a lot of very impersonal corporate messaging with some warmth and humanity.

The other thing that I love – more than theatre, more than music, more than writing – is animals. Anyone who knows me knows I love dogs. I spend an unhealthy amount of time talking about dogs and talking TO dogs.

I have yet to successfully incorporate this passion into my work life, but I keep trying! I have pushed for my companies to have dog-friendly offices, I suggest puppy happy hours for our business development efforts, and I always nominate dog rescues as beneficiaries of our corporate giving.

One of these days, the ideas will stick. But until then, I have to figure out a way to incorporate my love of dogs into my life. If you know me, you know I don't have a dog due to my current living situation, but it's a goal that will be fulfilled as soon as we move.

I always intend to volunteer my time with my favorite rescue groups (shout out to One Tail At A Time), but my schedule just doesn't lend itself to spending even a few hours with the pups in Chicago. So I give money. I'm a monthly donor, and I supplement with intermittent donations throughout the year for specific initiatives for the awesome work OTAT is doing. I also support a handful of other small rescues where I know my dollars are making a difference.

But is it enough to fulfill me for the long-term? I suspect no. As I get older, I find my work needs to matter more. So I really hope to find some type of volunteer opportunities to work with animal rescues or other organizations where I can contribute content or something to make a difference. Writing this is a first step to holding myself accountable to seek out those opportunities.

Don't get me wrong: I also do love many elements of my job. Marketing is constantly changing, it's full of interesting & creative people, and it's rewarding to see your efforts pay off whether in the form of brand awareness or new revenue. So that's not to say I don't like what I do. I do. I care about it, and I am genuinely passionate about it (just ask anyone who has been in a meeting with me).

I also know I'm not alone in searching for something I can't quite find. You all have passions outside of work, right? In the back of your mind you think about what your dream job would be if money wasn't the primary driver behind your work. Mine is always working for an animal rescue.

But for those who get paid for their passion as a career, I have deep admiration for your persistence. It's not easy to find, and it's certainly not easy to do. Not all of us are entrepreneurial and become the next Dog Rates, but man, that kid blows me away with what he's built. Side note: he's also sweet as can be.

I'd love to hear how you made it happen, or if you're trying to find the balance between your work and your personal passion... what's working for you, and what's not? Are there ways to incorporate the things that give you joy into your daily work life?