Jou, Leia, and I often have this discussion. They see me wake up before the sun and come home after dark. Thirteen-hour days are normal for me. They ask me if I am tired. I tell them the truth.
Was I tired? Yes.
Was it hard? No.
Did I have a good time? Yes.
The difference is love and passion.
Work That Feels Like Fun
When you love what you do, the hours feel different. The challenges do not drain you, they energize you. For me, golf has always been that fun. Playing, teaching, managing a course — it is not easy, but it is deeply fulfilling. That love gives me strength on long days and keeps me steady on hard ones.
I want my kids to see that. Not just in words, but in how I live. My hope is that they will find a job, a hobby, or a career that does the same for them. Something they can love so much that the line between work and joy disappears.
Love Carries You Higher
Passion does not erase effort. It plants the seed that makes effort worthwhile. Without love, thirteen hours feels like a grind. With love, it feels like a good day’s work.
Because of passion and love, you also become persistent. I watched a show once about Japanese pottery masters. One of them shared his story. When he was younger, the whole village was full of pottery shops and kilns. Many of the masters were better than him. But over the years, pottery lost its place in daily life. Shop after shop closed. One by one, his competitors moved on to other paths. Today, his is the only kiln left in the village. He laughed and said, “Many people thought I was stupid and stubborn. But I outlasted them all. That is why I am the best.”
That is what passion does. It makes you endure when others quit. It carries you past talent and trends. It turns persistence into mastery.
Passing It Forward
Passing It Forward
I tell Jou and Leia this often: find the thing that gives you that fire. It will not always be easy to spot, and it may not come in the form of a career right away. But when you discover it, protect it, nurture it, and give it your best.
I often say to my kids, “I wish one day you will find your passion like I have. That is my only wish for you.”
Because passion does more than carry you higher. It carries the people around you too. Love is contagious. When you love what you do, others feel it.