“Follow your passion,” says Oprah Winfrey and countless other Exceptionals. “Do what you love, and the money will follow."
The following excerpt from Your Exceptional Life - which PSK members can receive the ebook and audiobook for free here - demonstrate that whilst most people don’t believe it, but it is true. The reason why most people don’t believe it is because they’re expecting the money to follow immediately or soon after. For The Exceptionals, they’re prepared to follow their passion for years – even decades – before seeing the money follow.
Reality television shows are littered with examples of people who have ‘followed their passion’ for years without any financial gain. In 2009, Scottish woman Susan Boyle begrudgingly entered Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) at the behest of her vocal coach. She’d previously withdrawn from auditioning on X Factor, believing she was not pretty enough, and almost withdrew from BGT, believing she was too old. Her dream of being a professional singer had been with her since she was five years of age.
Just like the aforementioned Paddy Jones, Boyle was given a cynical, mocking welcome by the judges and crowd at her audition. Not only did Boyle wow the judges and a nation with her performance of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Misérables, she went on to come second on BGT and launch her professional career at the age of 47.
That’s right; 42 years – six cycles of seven – after first dreaming of being paid to sing, Susan Boyle realised her dream. Boyle has gone on to sell over 20 million albums and has a net worth of over 22 million pounds. Her commitment to do what she loves, despite her fears, has paid off handsomely.
The most fulfilling way to earn money is by doing what you love to do. When you spend your working hours doing activities that bring you joy, being paid for it seems like a bonus rather than an entitlement or reward for effort. For me, the penny didn’t drop until 2011 when Dr John Demartini suggested to me that if I loved talking so much “maybe you could make a career out of it”. Today, the most profitable arm of my business is speaking. Interestingly, I could do it all day and be paid nothing for it. I simply love talking about living an exceptional life. Creating exceptional wealth by doing what you love is not a coincidence; it’s simply an effect of persistence combined with the dedication of time.
That is the very activity your working hours are ideally consumed with. Whilst you may resist and say, “but Marcus I do have to pay the bills,” simply beginning with 5, 10 or 30 minutes a day of this activity will bring you great joy and fulfilment and plant the seeds for future financial wealth. Whether you call it a side hustle, second job or passion project doesn’t matter. What matters is the feeling you get from spending time doing more of what you love. When you do that, you generate the ideas, tenacity and commitment to earn what you love by doing what you love.
Only one word of caution applies here. If you believe your passion is more of a hobby, I recommend keeping your hobby just that. If you risk losing love for something that brings you joy, then that is not the career for you. I love playing the piano, but there is no way I want to be a professional pianist. If, however, you love the idea of being paid to sing, make soap, complete tax returns for other people, clean houses, make clothes or whatever your passion is, then know that your greatest potential for exceptional financial wealth lies in doing what makes you bounce out of bed for each day.
One of the reasons people stop themselves from creating greater wealth is their belief that money is bad; or at least too much money is bad (however you define too much). One of the more widely known rags to riches story of wealth is Oprah Winfrey. With a net worth of almost US $3 billion, Winfrey is certain money hasn’t changed her as a person. “I’m not acting like ‘oh gee money isn’t important’ and all that, because it does add a certain level of comfort to you,” she reflected in 2017. “But this is the real truth, wherever you are in your life, if you win the lottery you will still be the same person, and that money and those things you will now be able to buy are just a magnifying glass on who you already are.”
If you consider yourself a good person, then wouldn’t it be great if you had more money to be good with? Money is nothing more than a magnifier of who you are or consider yourself to be. If you have an exceptional reason or purpose for exceptional wealth, you are far more likely to receive it. If you want to earn $50,000 more or $250,000 more or $20 million more per year, it’s important to know the reasons why. If it’s simply to buy more shoes or renovate, it’s not as likely to happen. Is it so you can send your children to a particular school? Is it so you can buy a family home? Is it so you can start a business? Is it so you can give more to causes you believe in or perhaps even start your own? If you manage your money wisely, you have exceptional standards as a human being, and you have a great purpose, then I, and billions of other people around the world want you to be financially wealthy.
Once you truly believe that it is a wonderful thing for money to be in your control, you can then turn your attention to identifying the causes that inspire you. What is vital for your exceptional life is choosing causes that stir your heart and soul. In Ikaria, most villages have a festival known as a panigiri once per year to commemorate the saint their local church is named after. People from all over the island come together, dining out on bread, tzatziki, Greek salad, goat, hot chips, wine and dessert, dancing the day and night away to live music. In the seaside village of Nas, where the population is around 70, more than 1500 people will attend and raise over 10,000 euro simply by eating and drinking. That money goes towards beautifying the village, repairing roads or paths, or giving to people in need. Having visited Nas regularly since 2016, I notice with joy the physical improvements that are made each year. The path to the beach is improved, safety rails installed, roads have been paved, and families that had medical emergencies have been supported without having to deal with financial hardship on top of everything else. When you love your community (which is a part of an exceptional social life), finding local causes to contribute to will bring you immense joy. The mantra ‘think global, act local’ applies as much to your exceptional wealth as it does your environmental behaviour.
Marcus Pearce is a longevity and life design strategist and the author of 'Your Exceptional Life'. You can take his free Exceptional Life Quiz here. He also hosts the podcast 100 Not Out: Mastering The Art of Ageing Well, and is currently exploring the European Blue Zones of Ikaria and Sardinia.
As for all things relating to your health speak with your GP or a relevant medical professional. For all your financial health contact PSK on (02) 8365 8300 or visit psk.com.au
General Advice Warning - Any advice included in this article has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on the advice, you should consider whether it's appropriate to you, in light of your objectives, financial situation or needs.
