Pursue the Passion Tour first-hand impressions

Last Monday, July 2, the 4-man crew from the Pursue the Passion Tour, James, Brett, Zach and Noah pulled their gigantic RV in front of my house and bounded inside for the very first interview of the 2007 tour.  I got excited just seeing the bus itself … their sponsor Jobing.com did an amazing job creating the graphic that wraps the whole RV and tells the world what they are doing. 

We settled upstairs at my home office and had a great discussion about my own journey to discovering work I love, the source of passion within each of us and the kinds of challenges that people in the corporate world struggle with who are  desperate to find out what they love doing, but get emotionally shut down after years of pretending to enjoy excruciating meetings and impossible bosses.

After the interview, I felt some maternal pangs for these young men, and asked if they would mind if my husband did a traditional Navajo protection blessing for them before they set out on the road.  I imagined that as excited and proud as all their parents were for their bold adventure, they were also a bit concerned for their well-being as they criss-crossed the country and met with all kinds of unknown people.  I don’t care how old your kids get, you always worry about their safety on the open road. 

So my husband shared some good travel thoughts and blessed them with his grandfather’s eagle feather and some sweet grass.  Brett shared his perspective on this in a wonderful post, and it made me feel really good to hear that they felt the love and caring from my husband.  What can I say, I am a lucky woman.  🙂

What I gleaned from my young mentors is this:  If you are vexed by a question and determined to find an answer (for Brett and crew, it is "How do you find work that you are passionate about?"), don’t sit and stew, do something big and bold about it.  The RV is a testament to two things:  big vision and excellent persuasion.  Something about the vision and passion of the team got Jobing.com to fork over a serious amount of cash to support the tour.  It is good press for them, and will allow the team to travel in comfort and style.

I am convinced that the four young men will be changed by the experience in ways they can’t even imagine.  And the people they interview will be changed by being part of something that has the ability to significantly impact the career trajectories of the next generation.  Don’t you want it to be a little easier for the next generation to figure out the work/life equation than for ours? (some of you might be snickering "No!  Make them suffer like I did!")

Ways you can get involved:

1. Nominate yourself or someone else for an interview on the cities listed that still need candidates.  See here for openings.
2. Attend a "Passion Hour" gathering when the crew stops in your town. They are truly wonderful, sincere and smart young people that are very interested in your perspective on passion at work.  See the schedule for details, and if there isn’t one arranged, maybe you can set one up at your favorite restaurant or watering hole.
3. If you are a marketing or PR professional, consider doing a little legwork for the team and getting some local press for their arrival in your hometown.  It really is a great story, and I would love to see the buzz building as they travel around the country.  If there are any of you still in corporate jobs who want to do a little "side gig" to add to your portfolio as an independent PR consultant, this is a GREAT opportunity since the story hooks are so compelling.  Contact Brett with your ideas.
4. If you are college-age, or have kids that are, ride with the crew for a day as a "Passionger," accompanying them to every interview. Again, Brett can fill you in with details.

Safe travels guys … and thanks again for honoring me with a visit to my home in the ‘burbs.