You versus Yourself

2. Understand your passion
Passion was the driving force behind the interview that I conducted. I wouldn’t recommend using this tactic at your next job interview but I had nothing to lose, even though I very rarely get the opportunity to be interviewed. I still had a well paid job and I was coming out of retirement in regards to coaching soccer. If they say no, then it would not have been a good fit anyway. I had already spent 2 years at a soccer club that I knew 
was not the right fit for me. And look where that got me. My advice, look for jobs that fit your passion. I had a talent for selling, I hated that job because of the culture. It crushed my soul. 
I believe my day job was the main cause for my depression. There were other factors, such as missing Megan and Emily, no longer playing soccer, change of culture. The one thing that really affected me was the culture that I worked in. Sales meetings that talked about the same issues for years. Constant turnover of staff because we had no training program. No rules for the sub-contractors. It was a horrible atmosphere for me to be in. The silly thing is, the people who worked there were good people. The company just lacked leadership. I have seen quite a few youtube videos questioning passion. “Don’t follow your passion, follow your talents.” Yes, passion is a feeling and so are dreams, but they are different. You may be talented at something, but if it’s not your passion, then your satisfaction levels will not be reached. If you have a passion for something, you are going to work your butt off to become talented at your passion. You are going to become a student of your passion. While I was in a position of sales, I had a passion to beat my sales numbers from the previous year. For ten years I did that. For a few years I was the top salesman. I was not interested in beating the other sales guys, I was in competition with me. In 2009, my first year of sales was $168,000. In 2018, my final year at the company was $1.75 million. This could have been a lot more if I had passion in working for the company. I never thought I would ever struggle mentally. But, the stresses of life and being unhappy wore me down. There are many of us that are in this situation right now. Some of you, like me, have managed to get out of it. Sometimes you need luck, but most of the time you need to fight for yourself. You vs yourself.
I spent three years at Foothills Soccer Club. I loved it. The process was successful. We had no state titles. We had a few tournament wins. We had three clubs in 2014 and 22 teams in 2017. The one thing that makes me proud, we never cut a single player in those three years. In 2017 I was lucky enough to publish a book on the process, ‘The Soccer Coach’s Blueprint.’ by Meyer & Meyer. Because I have a passion for learning, I sometimes go back and read the book and see how much more I could add to it. I am learning every single day.

When someone questions your passion, let them know that nothing is going to stand in your way. Talent is not enough to get you to reach your goals. 
Talent + Passion = Opportunities
When we get opportunities, we open many doors. Imagine you have a number of doors to open before you reach your dreams. Reaching your dreams is a grind and it’s difficult. You need that passion to keep opening the doors of opportunity. If you stop opening those doors, you will never reach your full potential. 
Have goals that will help you fulfill your passion. I know this is difficult. As I suffered with depression and saw my psychologist, not once did he tell me to quit my job and follow my passion. Meeting after meeting I would tell him how much I hated my job. Not once did he advise me to quit my job and follow my passion. Following my passion helped me overcome my struggles with mental health. If you are having struggles, find your passion and see how it makes you feel. Good luck!