There is a myth out there that each of us has a destiny, that we should pursue our "dream" for our career. As the myth goes, if we do what we love, we will love what we do and be successful. What if you love to play the piano? There are hundreds, thousands of us out there. We love the music the piano makes. I realized early in life that I didn't want to compete against the hordes of pianists out there, classical, jazz, etc. I figured I could satisfy my passion, and that it would be far more likely that I could feed my family if I chose a more "professional" career path.

Accidentally, I chose a career in sales and marketing. A job came available, and it paid fairly well, so I took it. Fifteen years later, I'm still working along that career path, and doing fairly well with it. That didn't stop me from ever wanting to pursue a musical career, however. Through the years, I've found outlets for my music, from accompanying students at colleges to teaching piano to children to helping run a children's choir at church. When the folks at church decided to host a talent show and called to ask me and my children to put something together, I jumped at the opportunity. Here's a way to pursue my dream, I thought. My children had a favorite song by Alison Krauss, "A Living Prayer." They wanted to sing that. I found the lyrics, but no music. At least, I couldn't find piano music. So, I took to the challenge and wrote some myself. Over the course of a couple of days, I was thrilled with the opportunity to write my own arrangement to Alison Krauss's song. I thought that maybe I could put this skill to work. It was a very gratifying experience.

The day of the big event, I had a busy work day. My team closed a big sale, and I was late getting to the talent show. I was supposed to bring a dish, and ended up running through Popeye's and picking up some fried chicken. When it was our turn, my family and I approached the piano. I hadn't practiced, nor had I warmed up my voice at all. I was so proud of my song arrangement though, I couldn't wait to play it. I played, the girls sang, and I barked my way through it. The crowd applauded politely. We weren't the big show stopper that I thought we would be. The song I arranged was lovely, but really nothing spectacular.

And, there it was. For some of us, our passion will never be our dream job. That's not to say that we can't derive satisfaction from it, however. I'm pleased I could find an outlet for my musical creativity. It also doesn't mean we can't have interesting, fulfilling careers. After the "performance," a woman at the next table asked me, "Do you work outside the home?" I answered, "Yes, I'm in sales." All the while I was thinking about that big sale and the big commission I would receive. She smiled and said, "Well, don't quit your day job."