New Year’s Resolution – Pair Your Passion with Your Skillset to Reach Your Goals!

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In a perfect world, we would all obtain work in the fields we are passionate about or studied to enter during college or trade school.

Yet, in today’s economic climate, many Americans are satisfied to merely have a place to work.

A guidance counselor of mine in middle school, Mrs. Collins, one day told me, “Jonathan, if you enter a career you’re passionate about, you will never work a day in your life.”  After countless dead end jobs, I finally became a copy writer and realized that Mrs. Collins advice was the absolute truth, as my days as a copy writer here at Quicken Loans have been the best of my professional career!

Growing up in an extremely religious home, I was often in the dark when my classmates discussed funny lines from Def Comedy Jam or In Living Color during school the next day.  Nonetheless, I was always able to stay on top of current events (even with the absence of television in my household) because I saved a quarter from my lunch money and bought the local newspaper everyday.

I thought it was so cool that, through my newspaper readings, I could inform my classmates on what’s going on locally and nationally, although I may have been one of the only students without a television.  From that day on when I was 12-years-old, I knew I would become a copy writer one day.

I studied photojournalism at Renaissance High School and majored in Journalism (with a concentration in writing and reporting) in college, yet, I still took the first job offer I could get after undergrad, working for a small airlines company.  While I must admit that flying across the nation to play basketball at the drop of a dime was fun, I still had a burning desire to reach my dreams of becoming a copy writer.

That burning passion lead me to the doors of the (former) Livonia hub of Quicken Loans, where I knocked on glass doors and followed anyone who opened a door with their badge, to hand my resume and cover letter to anyone who would accept it.

In hindsight, I realize my actions were both brazen and brash, yet, the passion I have to accomplish my goals blinded me from viewing what others may have seen as extremely aggressive career hunting.

Thus, I am here today, not because I knew someone or had family at the company, nor because I saw an opening on a website and followed up.  I am here, living my dream as a copy writer today because my hunger to reach my goal was stronger than any doubt that existed.

With New Year’s right around the corner, many people will make a resolution list to reach their new set of goals for the new year.

Hence, why not make a career goal that pairs your passion with your skill set?

Dustin Koester, a drummer on a cruise ship, asked himself this very question before he began the journey of a lifetime that would lead him to travel to 21 countries in two years.

Koester’s passion is traveling the world; yet, his skillset is playing the drums.  Consequently, in a moment of clarity, Koester had an epiphany and vowed to aggressively chase his dreams from that point on.

One specific takeaway from Koester’s story that I can completely relate to is his acknowledgement that his mindset completely changed when he reached his goal, while engaging in his passion.

It’s true, things seem much harder to accomplish if you have never reached a huge goal in your life.  When I became a copy writer, I honestly felt like I could accomplish anything I aspired to do.

Accordingly, when the new year rolls around and you begin to write down resolutions or updated goal list, remember to pair your passion with your skillset and you, too, can experience the feeling that Koester and I experience every time we start our workday, pure bliss.

To read Koester’s story in full click on the chase your dreams article on the Man vs. Debt website.

Jonathan Slappey is a writer for Quicken Loans, a company whose clients believe it’s Engineered to Amaze.  Interested in being Amazed by us? Read trusted reviews at our review site.