Recently I was playing golf (badly), and a very successful salesman in my foursome hit a terrible shot and said, “Anyway, a bad day on the golf course is better than a great day at the office.” I laughed, but inside I really felt sorry for the guy, because I could not imagine hating my job that much.
So, why didn’t the sales guy quit? One answer: He earned great money. Is it worth it staying at a job you don’t love if you’re earning great dollars? In my view, whether you are young or old, only focusing on earnings is a tremendous career mistake for a few big reasons:
Chase your passion.
Many of the most successful businesspeople in the world have said they would work at their jobs even if they did not get paid. Why? Because they had so much passion, their careers did not seem like work — they truly enjoyed what they were doing every single day. Ironically, this strategy is also the best financial decision: The more you love something, the better you will be at it, and the more money you will end up getting paid. This is true whether you are a startup CEO, a ballet dancer or a…