Who is the best florist in the world?

​Several weeks ago I guest-lectured for a college career class about how to figure out what to do with your life. I hit 'em with the best stuff I have -- beware the outside/in model, develop your Profile of Self, and fight the fears that get in the way of success.

Toward the end, a student who had a particularly skeptical look on her face and who had been fighting some internal voice during the whole session finally raised her hand.

"But what if what I love to do doesn't pay."

Great question. I'm so glad she asked, because I guarantee each of you have thought this at least once, as has every other career-searcher in the world.

I returned volley with this:

"Who's the best florist on planet earth?"

Any idea? Me neither. Until I looked it up. Google it. Some guy named Gregor, who is the Master of all Master Florists -- essentially the Picasso of flowers. This guy has won awards for flowers internationally, has written 30 books, and speaks six languages.

And I guarantee he's not making $30k a year.

A florist, for heaven's sake. Killing it in the world of flowers.

Here's the best part: you can do this with any industry. Trash collectors, plumbers, artists, writers, mechanics, etc. Someone has to be the best. Every industry has someone at the top.

And what makes them the best at what they do is that they love it. There is always room at the top for those who love what they do.

It started with passion. It started with a drive to do it because they were intrinsically motivated by the craft, whatever that was.

So don't give me this "what if I can't make money doing it" thing. Start with passion, add in some consistent hard work, earned credibility, networking, education and training, and do it all over a consistent period of time and you will make money doing it.
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Sidenote: Usually when people ask that question, what they're really saying is "what if I can't make money immediately doing that" or "what if I don't have the patience to stick it out long enough to make money?" Answer: you probably weren't that passionate about it in the first place.