Is something that some have and some don’t.

I have plenty of friends who have it. Some are musicians, photographers, and serial entrepreneurs. Then, there are some of my friends, including me, who have no real passion. Some of them could care less and some of them like me, have been wondering if not having one will prevent us from ever getting anywhere in life.

Throughout the years, I’ve been racking my brain and worried because I didn’t have that one thing I completely loved. But after some careful thinking, I no longer feel like I need a passion. I’m beginning to embrace all the different interests I have and not trying to force myself into selecting one.

A few months ago, I honestly felt like my life wasn’t going anywhere. I know, I know, my resume would never make you believe I can think that way of myself. But, just because you have some accolades doesn’t mean your life is where you necessarily want it to be. I can attribute some of that to the economy (layoff), laziness, and lack of passion. I can truly be honest about that.

But, I know in my 25 years, I’ve only had one true passion and that was (probably still is) basketball. I attended basketball camps throughout High School and played against some serious competition at camps. Got looked at by the University of Texas (same year as TJ Ford) and other schools. Then, my knee gave out and the recruiters went looking elsewhere.

That whole situation broke my heart. I figured out that the only passion in my life (playing basketball) was no longer realistic. I tried to convince myself that working behind a desk at a sports league, would give me the same high stepping on a basketball court did, but I was wrong. Nothing to this day has ever matched the high I feel when I step onto a court.

Now, does this mean I’m going to try out for the D-League and try to make it like Bernie Parmalee once did for the Miami Dolphins? Not at all.

But I know that working for a sports league will prevent me as a writer from being able to express my opinion. Imagine me working for the NBA or NFL and criticizing a move Goddell or Stern make? What about criticizing a coach or organization? That wouldn’t fly. We all know what happened to that Eagles employee who wrote negatively about the GM on his facebook page. I just don’t want to feel restricted.

Undoubtedly, sports is a part of my life. It’s something I talk about on a daily basis with friends, but is there one area in a league department where I can say I’d love to work in? Maybe as a General Manager. But the chances of me landing a position like that are slim to none; considering I didn’t go to an Ivy League institution like Theo Epstein or played the sport. But now you would say: “Well Claudio, why can’t you become a General Manager? Why can’t you just buckle down and work hard and see if you can get that high?”

It’s not a matter of belief. It’s that I just don’t think I can work for a company years on end not knowing if I will ever get what I deserve. I rather just use a job I enjoy that can allow me to meet people from different walks of life; and use the income I receive from it to fund my own projects. Whether it’s in sports ticketing, writing, fashion, event planning, etc. These are various things I know I may not be “fully” passionate about, but can be with a single goal in mind.

So, after lengthy examination, I now know that I will never be that guy that sticks in one field for the majority of his life. My friends have known that for years and I’ve always rejected that notion. But, I’m starting to realize that’s who I am. I’ll be the guy who won’t become a master of a trade, but a jack of many.

There is no longer a need to sit on your couch trying to figure out what your true passion is. Stop trying and instead focus on all the things you like to do and put passion behind them. Along the way, you may just find that one thing you desire.

You see, there’s nothing wrong with having a passion. It’s probably the best thing you can have in life. But there’s definitely something wrong when you try to make believe something is your passion when it really isn’t.

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