I remember a few years ago, my father-in-law made the comment that I'm sure we have all heard. He said, "You shouldn't be so concerned about finding a job that pays a lot of money. Find a job you love. You'll be much happier and your family will be much happier." This spoke to me because as a teacher, I love what I do, but it doesn't pay much, as we all know. And of course, there's nothing wrong with finding a career that you love AND that pays a lot. But in the long run, being passionate about what I do for a living makes it easier for me to get up and go to work in the morning.
Then I thought about when I wake up my kids to go to school in the morning. Inevitably, one of them says, "I don't want to go to school." And I usually ask them why? Is there something wrong? Is someone bullying you? Is there a problem? They usually answer no to all of these. And I still wonder why they don't want to go. But recently I've begun to think that I have known the answer all along. They don't want to go because they aren't passionate about it. They aren't given the experiences that make them love what they learn.