A good friend of mine Scotty Hammel is a fantastic magician, juggler and motivational speaker. I actually saw perform and speak before I got into magic when I was in grade 9. In his speeches he pushes one thing on you (in a nice way). "Find you passion, make it happen." This to me is probably some of the best advice I've ever heard and it’s very clear in his shows and talks that he has certainly done so. Sure motivational speakers do actually motivate people (at least the people who want to be motivated and motivate themselves) but when you are friends with these people and you get to really know them for them it is even more inspiring. Guys like Scotty are few and far between. I'm not talking about people who are successful. I'm talking about people who truly find their passion and live their dream. How many people can you say you know that have found their passion, that thing they love and on top of finding it are actually doing it? Few. I can think of 2 or 3 and of those these developments are quite recent.
I'm one lucky son of a bitch to have found what I believe to be my passion at such a young age. I say what I believe I love to do because can you really know at my age? I'd argue that you can think you have but it will take years to confirm it. I used to think magic was my thing and that lasted about 4 years. Beer has been winning for 2 years now and I have a good feeling.
What inspired this bollocks? Well first of all I was recommended by a friend to check out a site called Johnny Cupcakes (http://www.johnnycupcakes.com/blog/) which is not only worth a look for the cool merch but also a really inspiring story. Please go read it, all of it. I'll wait.
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Wow, you read fast. Anyway, this is the perfect example of someone who clearly has found that thing they love to do. Not only is he successful in business but also he makes people happy.
I'm also writing this because of a new intern/assistant brewer we have up here from Austria. He has been brewing and learning about beer since the age of 15 and is now only 19. I'd argue that by no means is he at a level to know what he wants to do with his life. It just seems weird to me but he, what do I know about Austrians (*cough* Hitler was Austrian *cough*)?
And finally I decided to write this bit because a friend of a friend was a trained paramedic, had a job with somewhat odd hours and then decided she didn't like it. She jumped ship and is now looking for jobs everywhere she can and thinking "hey, maybe I wanna be a cop." This to me again is a bit unsettling.
What I've learned so far about what people need to be successful in what they do.
1) Grow a pair and take risks
2) Try shit out and live a little
3) Pay your dues
Break Down
1) If you read the JC website about how he got his company started, you can clearly see that he has done this first thing. I'll assume you have all read it and that you aren't just taking my spark notes. He risked everything for what he has. He had an easy way to success and lots of money with large retailers. He cut that. He risked lots of money flying to trade shows to get known. It paid off. He nearly buried his parents alive in his shirts before he had the money to buy space. Clearly I'm not giving it all away here for you lazy bastards who didn't read it but you get the point. These are smart risks. This friend of a friend, from now on referred to as FOAF, took a risk and quit her job hoping for something better. No research was put in and it was a quick decision. This was a stupid risk. Austria got into what can essentially be seen as a career when he was 15. This is a major risk. It is STUPID how many people get stuck in jobs they hate just because they make these decisions. Think about it, think think about it (Hats off to those of you who get the reference).
2) Try shit out. I've done a number of things in my life to make some money, get experience and ultimately test the waters out in different areas. Our pal JC did this. Bands, t-shirts shops and graphics turned into an empire with a gigantic fan club (something I'm reaching the point of joining because now that I've finally read the entire thing (yeah it actually took this long. Sorry Laura) I can understand the obsession) and I sure as hell respect building something from nothing. There is a reason I loved LEGO as a kid (and always will). FOAF has tried out a few things but clearly not enough to know what she wants to do. Last I talked to her she loved being a paramedic and was all in for it. I will give her this point. Austria has not done this. Essentially choosing a career at 15 is ridiculous and I don't really need to explain why he does not get a Try shit out point.
3) Pay your dues. Again, this one is fairly simple in the case of JC since he obviously has done this (Seriously, go read it you lazy bastards). Being a paramedic for a few months and jumping ship is clearly someone who needs to rethink the whole thing. You can't start out a CEO unless you start a company and you can't start a company without paying your dues. You gotta work shit and irregular hours to finally get to the spot you want to be at. If you just leave when shit gets hard you might as well stop doing anything. In that case you become homeless and that is probably even harder than working these hours. Austria has clearly paid some dues with 4 years of experience in an industry and has deserved what he has and what will come up in the future. Also, I cleaned the kettle, mash tun and everything else everyday for months to finally get to a position where I get to be a brewer on a regular basis. Stop complaining you lazy new guys. If you don't want to work then go back to Uni and get your desk job. I hope you are happy with it. I know I couldn't be but hey, we are all different.
Score Board
JC FOAF Austria
3 1 1.5
Well there you go.
I'd like to point out that most of you are learning and know these things but I really like learning with pictures (which I'd add but I'm brutal at them) and by looking at different cases. I hope I'm not acting like a douche and trying to tell you what to do since I'm in no position to do this. On the scoreboard I'd give myself a 2/3. I've paid my dues, and not only in brewing, I've taken risks such as moving to another country but nothing as large as starting something and I've tried out a good amount of stuff. I haven't done it all but I've done enough to make myself happy because at the end of the day that’s all you gotta do.
P.S. Follow me on twitter. Hint: btaylor55.
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