I was speaking at the Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity event in San Jose a number of years ago. They had chosen the top “U, Inc.” a program designed to inspire the audience to think long and hard about their priorities in life and how they want to live their lives.
As it happens, all too often parents have a tendency to dictate what their children are to do with their lives. When a father is an attorney he often insists on his son replicate his career.
The challenge is that too often the child has no interest in being an attorney whatsoever. Their own interests might be very far from being in a law practice.
In fact several of the young boys came up to me after my presentation and told me how they were grateful for having someone tell them they had permission to follow their hearts rather than feel obligated to please their parents.
Can you imagine spending a lifetime working at a job or career you don’t have any passion? Believe it or not 7 out of 8 people in the United States do just that. Sadly, they don’t realize they have a choice.
Take the time to nurture your children to find their passion. Let them live their lives on purpose and not in the shadow of their parent’s wishes.