When I think about the things that make me love our industry, there are many words that come to mind. But the one that stands out the most is passion. I have never in my life been a part of a community so filled with this feeling; so filled with joy for a career or a craft…or anything.
The oft-repeated quote by Confucius tells us that if we choose a job we love, we will never have to work a day in our lives. I love this statement and believe in it to my core. This statement is truly about passion.
Still, being passionate about your work is just the first step — albeit an important and critical one — to succeeding at it. Loving what we do everyday might make the journey more enjoyable, but the path is still strewn with challenges, hard work, failures among the successes, and sometimes even others who build barriers to your progress.
But those who are filled with passion and true joy for their careers do not let obstacles get in the way of their development. They see each turn in the road as another growth opportunity — another chance to change up the game.
We all know people in our lives who have been faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, but who face each day with a smile and an unstoppable drive. These are the ones who keep moving when the road is rocky — who don’t look back to see if retracing their steps is an easier option than moving forward.
When I wake up everyday I am excited — even anxious — to get my day started. To jump onto my email. To make a new plan and get it going. To partner with, develop and elevate our community.
Each morning I am truly excited to think about what’s next on the agenda. What can I do today that will make something magical happen for someone? This is the spirit that I have come to expect from myself, and my career. It’s spirit that I didn’t have at every point in my life, but that is here now, and my development depends upon it.
It’s not always easy. In fact it seldom is. But everyday, I think to myself that I am the luckiest person in the world to be able to do what I do. It is my good fortune that I have the opportunity to work with so many other lucky people as we all move forward in our respective journeys to help others find — and to find and develop our own — joy, thrill,
happiness and passion.
Michael DeVellis
Editor, On Makeup Magazine