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Be Careful Turning The Things You Enjoy Into Sources Of Income

Rain falling on a row of SCUBA tanks

Passion Lost

Sitting in my standard issue corporate tan cubicle with absolutely no natural light, I begin to think back to the days when I used to make a living doing things I actually enjoyed. Back when my “passion” paid the bills. 

It doesn’t help that my Instagram feed is filled with people that appear to be living the dream. Digital nomads living off whatever it is they are passionate about, and all while traveling the world. 

It shouldn’t come as a shock that I haven’t always wanted to make a living sitting at a desk. Wasting away on one task after another until the day is over. Then sitting in traffic with all the other lost souls trying to get home. Another day over, and still feeling defeated.

My professional life wasn’t always so drab. There was a time I made a living doing things most people would envy. Things that could be considered a vacation. 

Are you for SCUBA? 

I originally came to Florida to be a SCUBA instructor.

After three years of living mostly outside while in the Army, and returning to a very cold winter in Colorado, I decided I was done with snow.

In true fashion, for those that know me personally, I came to the conclusion that I needed to get my life on island time and be rid of the colder weather once and for all. I have always had trouble deciding where I really want to live, so didn’t really think too much into another life-changing decision. 

Jumping all into my new endeavor I moved to the FL keys and earned my SCUBA instructor certification. I would spend the next three years teaching diving and working boats in various locations. Spending time in the keys, Bahamas, and even Seattle.

I really enjoyed working on the water. Most students and customers were in good spirits as they would have been on vacation or seeking a new leisure activity.

But, one day it stopped being fun and became just another job.

It might have been the first time a paycheck bounced or had an anchor dropped on me. Gradually I lost interest in diving at all. Adding all the non-fun aspects of work began to drown out the things I enjoyed about the industry. 

I think the same experiences affected my friends as well. I only know one person who remains a professional diver today. In fact, they may be the only person that still actually dives at all. That makes me a little sad.

Passion turned to dust

Each time I go out to clean my garage, I see my dusty old gear and think back to the good old days. Hanging out on boats, bumming around islands, and thoroughly embracing the boat billy lifestyle. 

My days in the sun have been replaced with beige walls with no windows. Responsibilities have changed from watching over someone’s life to checking boxes and responding to emails. 

Life changes, and we must learn to adapt. It could be that I needed a solid source of income once settled into a long-term relationship. Might be that I really became bored looking at the same pretty fish every day. Either way, my passion for diving died as a result of it becoming my only source of income. 

Granted this is my own experience, and I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that are able to make this type of lifestyle work for them. 

Just a cautionary tale for all those out there looking to make a living off the things they love. 

Writing just to say hello

Man holding broken pencil to blank paper while writing letters

Has social media and texting really replaced letters?

We have been sending letters and notes to each other for centuries, and the delivery methods have changed rapidly. While the intent of increasing the ease of communication may have been to bring us closer together, I wonder if it really just helps to push us apart due to forgetfulness?

Back when you had to wait for the pony express to pick up your letter, and the steamship to cross the ocean to correspond with your pen pal we had to expend some effort. Now, just pick your favorite messaging app and tap out a few characters or maybe just an emoji.

I really feel that I actually talk to people less now that I can easily reach them. Conversations are simple, and never really go in depth. We even abbreviate most of our words rather than explain our full thoughts.

People tend to get lost in the long list of ongoing text messages. Forgetting to follow up with people once an email is read happens often. We have become so distracted.

While we might connect to people all the time, have we lost the ability to communicate with them effectively?

Do you find yourself getting antsy when a text or IM is not returned immediately?

What happened to the days of mailing letters and holding ongoing conversations over a lifetime?

While we keep copies of all these digital communications, it would be hard for descendants or any others to experience these interactions if they cannot be found in a desk drawer or journal… Not to say many would be too interesting to read these days anyway.

I miss going through an old box and coming across a note from a schoolmate written a couple decades ago. If it wasn’t for memories displayed on FaceBook I would forget about entire events completely.

What about all the pictures we take with our phones. Videos shot of every occasion. How often do we go back and look at them. So many of them just filling space on some hard drive never to be viewed again. So many lost memories.

I think I’ll start to write folks again, simply to say hello. Even if my penmanship is poor, I think people still appreciate holding a letter in their hand.

To Build Things…

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time lately learning how to become a digital craftsman. Mostly because I like to build things…

I grew up making things. Physical things that you can hold and use once finished. Everything from model airplanes to birdhouses. So, creating something that is purely visual is new to me.

I thoroughly enjoy interacting with a good design. I love examining the interface on a website or app and thinking of how the designer thought up the layout, and the developer actually built it.

Sometimes I look at everyday things and see them not as finished products, but their individual components, and how they are assembled.

Instead of a car, I see pistons pushing a crankshaft. Wheels mounted on axles, and the braking mechanisms that will help to stop its motion. Planes are all the shape of a wing. Control surfaces and lift. Walls nothing more than drywall covered studs containing plumbing and wiring.

Breaking down large projects into smaller pieces has come easily to me.

henri l via unsplash.com
henri l via unsplash.com

One thing that I don’t like about creating something digital is that you can’t actually touch it…

The feeling of course wood sanded smooth, or molding clay into shape are some of the things that make the experience truly wonderful. You have taken something basic and transformed it into a beautiful and useful product.

Getting your hands dirty is the best part.

The same can be said for creating something completely new using a text editor. In the end, I guess you can hold the finished product in your hand using the device of your choice. I guess that makes these sort of things real enough.

When motivation fades…

I’ve recently come to accept that excitement will never turn into motivation.

When the short term high of beginning a new project fades, so does the motivation to see the task through to the end.

That would be why I have so many projects open at any given time, and given my tenancies to chase the next shiny object, leads to finishing nothing.

That brings us to persistence…

Persistence, and focus really. Hard to be on task when the task keeps changing.

When you set your course by following a wonky compass you will never arrive at your final destination! – Some random sailor

I find that I challenge myself to accomplish too much at one time.

Since I don’t focus enough on each of the many projects currently occupying the to-do list, I end up with anxiety. Hard to sit down and take a break when there is so much that I really should be doing.

And with limited time to work on what I consider to be important, I choose to do nothing and just let it fester. Until the depression or physical pain the anxiety brings leads me to take action once again.

So, what do we do about it?

Simple rationalization of course!!

  1. Accept that life has priorities.
  2. Realize you will still be alive in the next six to 12 months (most likely) and still have time to do all this stuff.
  3. Choose three of what you consider to be the most important projects.
  4. Determine why you think they are the most important.
  5. Then rank them one to three
  6. Focus on number one until its complete, or in a holding pattern outside of our control.
  7. Continue so on and so forth.
  8. Don’t give up!

Should be simple right?? Lets see…