Happy Passion Day

If you Google “Labor Day” you will learn something interesting about this national holiday.

The first Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882 in New York City, by the Central Labor Union of New York, the nation's first integrated major trade union. It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.

So, Labor Day was not created as a “thank you” by the bosses of the world to all of the employees of the world for a job well done. It was a calculated political move, to try to keep a lid on an already explosive situation.

Work is a four letter word. So is love. There is a famous quote “If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life”. We ask kids all the time, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers are usually things like Doctor, Police Officer, Firefighter, Nurse, Lawyer, Teacher, Astronaut – career choices that in the minds of a child equal a life of excitement, noble achievement, personal rewards, and passion filled lives. Very rarely do children say factory worker, checkout clerk, or dishwasher at a restaurant.

Now, before anyone gets upset with me, the key word here is passion. I respect everyone who earns an honest living, regardless of their careers. I remember laughing at the quote from the movie Caddyshack where Judge Smails says “Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too.”

If you are going to do something with your life, do it with passion. If you are not passionate about your current job, or passionate about your current career path, make it your purpose in life to pursue your passion. It is never too late. You do not have to quit your job, and you do not have to go to work tomorrow and tell your boss to “take this job and shove it”. But if you have the chance to live with passion, to work with passion, and to be passionate about what you do with the little time that God gives us on this planet, I highly recommend that you do everything in your power to have your work = love = passion.

My neighbor is a landscaper, and he is a millionaire many times over. He loves everything about landscaping, and he talks about it every chance he gets. I on the other hand, do not own a lawnmower, and I detest yard work. Regardless of the financial opportunity, I would be a miserable failure at landscaping. It is not about the money. It is, and it will always be about the passion for the job. He built a wonderful landscaping business, all because of his passion.

I sell things for a living. Yep, that’s me, a lowly salesman. How many kids when asked will say “I want to be a salesman when I grow up!” Not me, I wanted to be a Doctor all my life, right up until I was in college. My nickname at Purdue was “Premed”. But I can honestly say that I am a very happy salesman, and I am very passionate about my job. My definition of a CEO? Best salesman in the building.

I hope that you have a safe, and relaxing Passion Day. Or Labor Day. I think you should make that choice for yourself.