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SharePassion and wealth are a twain that seldom meets, one would think. After all, passion is an intense emotion like love and hatred; something all of us would have felt at some point and can relate to. Wealth in contrast is an amorphous concept: you could accumulate wealth, but never know how much wealth makes you wealthy.
One may feel wealthy with whatever he has, while someone with millions in the bank may feel poor. Also, passion is an emotion and wealth is the result of some action and is tangible. That kind of makes them chalk and cheese.
So it does, perhaps. Yet, passion in the right direction can lead you to wealth --- serious wealth. Talking about passion, some are passionately in love with their special someone, while some are passionate about music, games, nature, travelling, etc. The passionate are devoted to their area of interest with an intensity that might appear ridiculous to those who don't share their passion.
Try taking the wheel from a car enthusiast, or try separating the musical instrument from the passionate musician. All hell will break loose. That sort of intensity works quite well in a wealth accumulation pursuit as well. I had written in an earlier column that one cannot come into money by running after it. Passion, however, works. When people are intensely enthusiastic about something, they tend to do that very well. They may almost achieve perfection in their chosen fields. Indeed, they may look like mad guys who are tilting at windmills. However, ultimately, they come up trumps.
Ever thought one could earn a living teaching dance and yet do well materially and be famous? Seems like an idle pipe dream, doesn't it? It would not, however, if you were Shiamak Davar. He has made it big --- really big. He has dance academies in India and abroad; he choreographs for dance sequences in movies; is a celebrity in his own right; and has raked in millions. All because he pursued his passion for dance.
Try music. Quite a few doyens come to mind --- Pandit Ravi Shankar, L Subramanian, M S Subbulakshmi, Bhimsen Joshi, etc. But the ones mentioned play a lead instrument like sitar or violin, or are lead vocalists. In fact, they perform and all else are accompaniments. Now try drums or percussion. Know any renowned percussionist who has become rich and famous? How about Sivamani? His passion oozes through his pores… it's as if he lives for percussion. And what has that given him? Fame for sure --- so well-known is he for his craft that he is sitting in IPL matches around the border, cheerleading in his own, inimitable way with his drums and his persona. Fancy that! There are few percussionists as well-known. To all intent, he is pretty well-off, though I cannot confirm that --- I am not his financial advisor yet.
I had read about a bridge player who was good in his game. But after every game, he was so intent on analysing the outcomes that his mates went crazy. Since he liked playing bridge and had a natural flair for analysis, his perceptive girl friend suggested that he take up writing a book on bridge and how to improve the game, with step-by-step guidance and explanations. Our guy loved the idea and went headlong into the project. When the book released, it was an explosive success. Wealth was just a by-product for him.
Mark McCormack of What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School fame wrote in his book that he was passionate about golf. He wanted a career where he could combine his passion with his profession… and IMG was born. His company was one of the most successful sports/ celebrity management outfits. He was trained to be a lawyer --- where he might have just plodded along. By pursuing his passion, he became a super-successful businessman in an area he always enjoyed. Mark passed away in 2004. His family counted between them $750 million --- not bad for doing what you like to do.
There is a saying that the waiter who straightens the table cloth to perfection and who rearranges and fusses over the flowers to look their best on the table will rise up to be the manager and probably the owner. That's passion at work, again. Wealth seems to come automatically to people like these.
Passion works, in the bedroom and boardroom alike. Doing the right thing and doing it right is what makes these people court success. So, forget about that dreary job if you have passion for something else… then be it farming, music, painting or wine making. I know a man who was passionate about wine making. A Stanford graduate and a finance manager at Oracle, he quit to pursue his passion. Of course, people thought he was nuts to quit his job, come to India and try his hand at wine making. There was no market for wines in the country. Nor were there suitable grapes for making wine. But he planted grapes and started his winery. And is he a success? Judge for yourself. Rajeev Samant, CEO, Sula Vineyards has put India on the wine-making map and is recognised as a path-breaking entrepreneur.
Passion does work.
The author is a certified financial planner who runs Ladder 7 Financial Advisories.
