A conversation between a father and his 12 year old son:
Son: Dad, what did you want to be when you were my age?
Father: I wanted to be an archeologist, I loved dinosaurs and finding out clues from the past and what they could tell us about the world before we knew it.
Son: Why did you not become an archeologist?
Father: Oh, things got in the way and I didn’t follow up on them.
Son: I want to be a joiner.
Father: That’s great son. Why do you want to be a joiner?
Son: Well, I love working with my hands and being creative and I love being outdoors, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in an office all day.
Father: That’s a great career choice. Are you going to follow through with it and find out what you need.
Son: Need? What do you mean need?
Father. Well, you’ll need to get an apprenticeship that will last 4 years so you can learn the trade. You’ll need to pass all your exams at school in order to get into the apprenticeship.
Son: Oh! I didn’t know I would need to do all that, maybe I’ll think about something else.
Father: If you have a passion for it, you should go for it. When you have passion you’ll be able to come through everything you have to in order to get there.
Son: what’s your passion?
Father: Well, I love writing, producing products about personal development, I love helping others with words.
Son: But you haven’t found a way to get through everything to do this, you’re still an addiction worker.
Father: Well, sometimes it takes time to reach your dream, but as long as you have the passion you will get there.
Son: Do you still have the passion?
Father: Oh, more than ever.
Son: How long have you been following your dream?
Father: em, about five or six years, but some dreams are big and you’re in it for the long haul.
Son: Six years! I think I would have lost interest by then.
Father: Not if it’s your passion. You see a passion for something never leaves you, it niggles away at you, and if you drop your passion that little niggle is like an itch you have to scratch, ignore the itch and you’ll be unhappy.
Son: I know, but six years, sheesh, in six years I’ll be 18, I’ll be able to drive a car, I’ll be allowed to get married, have a drink and I’ll probably be at uni in six years time. Why not just get a job that pays a lot of money.
Father: Because it’s not about the money. As long as you have enough to keep your family safe with a roof over their heads, their stomachs are full and have the occasional treat, then money shouldn’t be your main focus.
Son: Sounds like you’re pretty determined. I hope I’m like you when I’m older.
Big hug between father and son. Father with a lump in his throat and the thought “and that’s why I keep following my passion, for the love of it, and so I never have to tell my sons I gave up on my dream.”
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