Earning a Living or Pursuing Your Dreams?

If you ask Americans if they earn a living by following their dreams, many will answer no. But I personally know of stories that led to dreams coming true, and not because people got lucky, but because they never gave up on their dream in the first place. In these hard economic times when earning a living is getting tougher, it may seem that your income and your passion are mutually exclusive. But in a free economy they don't have to be, as proven by these stories.

The Wasted Life

An acquaintance of mine, who worked for a large corporation, noticed instances of waste in the way the business was run all over the country. Though not part of his job, he spent his free time, unpaid over-time and weekends for months researching the problem, before he proposed an innovative system that will eliminate the waste and save the company millions of dollars. His report reached upper management, and he was promoted and tasked with implementing his plan across the whole company. He now lives out his passion of tackling large logistical and strategical challenges in the business world.

The Dead Zone

My husband's manager at a fortune 100 company gave him this advice: To stand out from the crowd, identify a troubled segment of the business about which little is known and become an expert in it. Taking on the risk of working on a high-visibility, high-volatility issue, my husband spent hours mastering an intricate product, addressing failures and proposing solutions. His work gained him a promotion, followed by a job offer that catapulted him from product support to design and management. Not only did his income increase, but he was given a chance to pursue his passion for design, large-scale project orchestration and mentoring.

The Flighty Dream

My brother's single passion as a child was to become an airplane pilot. In the army, his dream came true as a jet pilot, but when he returned to civilian life the prospect of flying commercial airlines seemed tedious. Studying commercial design at university, he became an expert at ergonomics and worked in design firms in Israel, France and Spain. Years later, his passion for airplanes and his need to earn a living were united when he was hired by the Spanish government to develop ergonomic airplane interiors for both pilots and passengers.

The Write Way

Quitting corporate America at the age of 40, I decided to pursue the dream of being a full-time writer. I took a year off to write the novel I always dreamed of writing, a luxury which consumed my savings. Then I set to earning a living by writing articles for pay and mastering the art of website design. I worked 24/7 for over a year, earning far less than minimum wage, until my articles, websites and classical poems library combined to establish me as a serious writer. Today I make a good income pursuing my passion.

The Mother of All Choices

Working for a successful start-up, my friend's company shares soared each year. She hated her job as a Technical Support Team Manager for the company's third-tier team, which dealt with the worst product issues. But the temptation to keep earning such a good living was constant. Then she fell in love with a farmer, and she quit her job to follow her dream of raising four children and pursuing happiness instead of cash.

The Road Less Driven

After my father passed away, my mother chose to train as a tourist guide to earn an income for our sadly stricken family. She earned a good living, though she experienced terrible stage-fright before each trip. One day she realized that her true passion was less glamorous. She loved driving buses. She took a 40% pay cut to pursue her dream of driving instead of teaching, and though she worked longer hours to make up for lost income, time on the job seemed to fly.

More from this Contributor

6 Job Interview Skills Worth Mastering

6 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job