When I was a child, my mother continually stressed the importance of three things: education, reading, and doing what you love. Although these categories have some overlap, each has independently become a strong pillar in my life.

Education: I attended a private Catholic school from kindergarten through high school. I learned a lot in school and was continually challenged by my teachers. However, beyond that, I’m highly self-motivated when it comes to learning. I’m that overachiever who the teacher admired and the classmates resented. I didn’t do it for the attention – actually I hated the attention! It was because I simply loved leaning and continually building up my vast collection of knowledge.

Reading: My parents read to me everyday as a child, often far more than once a day. They instilled a deep-set love of books in me and my siblings. In fact, my younger sister’s first words were “want book.” (Honest to God!) As a child, I regularly sat in my room for hours on end with my beloved books; to contrast, most of my friends spent their “alone time” with their bedroom TV set, a luxury I never had nor desired. Although I’ve gone through a few brief periods during which reading was placed on the back burner, I have always returned to my favorite pastime, with a growing fervor each time. As I have expanded my mind and refined my tastes, I’ve grown to love reading more than I ever dreamt possible; even more than I loved “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” and “The Giver.” Well, maybe not more.

Passions: My mother always told my brother, sister, and me to do what we love and that everything else would follow. My mom was a walking example. She had been a school teacher briefly, but then chose to stay home to raise her children. She later started a home-based business selling educational books. She fervently believed in the product and in the cause – promoting education. Although she originally pursued the book business as supplemental income, she quickly built an empire. She managed a huge team, was always a national leader in terms of sale, had a six-figure income and – most importantly – absolutely loved what she did.

The pursuit of money as a means to anything usually means that someone, at lease momentarily, has taken their eyes off of what they really want. The pursuit of money as a means to anything should always be secondary to the pursuit of that same thing.

The other day, I was browsing the posts shared by my fellow post-a-day bloggers and came across a post entitled Never work a day in your life! Like myself, the author has heard many variations of the concept “chose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” What I particularly liked about this post was that the idea was backed up with results from a research study.

The research was based on the analysis of 1,500 people at two points of time, at the beginning and the end of a twenty year period. The participants were broken into two categories:

1. Members of first category said that they would pursue money first and follow their passions later. Over 1,245 people fell into this group.
2. The second category consisted of individuals who claimed that they would seek their passions and interests first and trust that money and success would follow. There were 255 people in this group.

In a follow-up study conducted twenty years after the initial groups were formed, 101 of the 1,500 participants had become millionaires. Could it mere coincidence that 100 of the 101 millionaires were from the second category – the group who felt that pursuing passions was more important than pursing money?

I doubt it. I think that what my mother and other wise individuals throughout history have taught us is entirely true. When you focus on what you love, you willingly exert more time and energy into those projects. Engaging in work that has personal meaning can also affect those around you. When your passion and happiness burns brightly, others are more likely to believe in and support your cause.

Heed your mother’s advice. Pursue your passions. Do what you love.

What are your passions? What would you do with your life if money were no issue?