If you are a parent encouraging children to pursue their passions, this article is for you. I have spoken in over five hundred schools across Australia and one of the most common challenges I see is not what young people believe about themselves – it is what their parents believe is possible for them.
The Myth of the Safe Career
I recently visited a school whose academic results are some of the best in the state. When chatting to teachers over lunch, it was explained to me that many of the parents within their school community tell their children they can pursue whatever they like at university – as long as it is Medicine, Accountancy or Law. Not every parent at this school holds this view, but it is a commonly held belief large enough to warrant a serious conversation.
From my experience speaking in over 750 high schools, I would agree. A substantial number of parents – for whatever reason – believe certain careers are more worthy than others. They deem these options the finest and safest routes for their children to earn an appropriate income and provide proper status for their families. I understand the instinct. Parents want to protect their children. They want to give them the best possible chance at security and success. But in doing so, many are inadvertently limiting the very children they are trying to help.
In this era of exponential change, the idea of a “safe career” is itself becoming outdated. The world has shifted. The pathways to success are no longer narrow or predictable. And if we are genuinely serious about encouraging children to pursue their passions, we need to start by challenging some deeply held assumptions.
We Are Living in an Age of Opportunity
Our current generation of young people is the first in history to grow up alongside the world’s first billionaire author in J.K. Rowling. Together we have witnessed the rise of the world’s first billionaire talk show host in Oprah Winfrey, the original social media platform founder in Mark Zuckerberg, and a tycoon app creator in Evan Spiegel – the youngest billionaire of his generation thanks to Snapchat. The speed of change, the rise of technology, the increase in exponential growth, and the shift from local to global thinking means our expectations for what is possible must begin to match this very different era.
I have the pleasure of knowing a fashion blogger who today earns more than most surgeons. Seven years ago she sat in one of my Day of Hope seminars and credits the birth and action of her dream to that very day. Her parents had no roadmap for what she was building. There was no university degree for it. There was no LinkedIn profile template to follow. Yet today she runs a thriving business doing something she genuinely loves. That is what is available to this generation – if we give them permission to reach for it.
Despite all of this possibility, archaic mindsets of safe careers still flourish in our society – and it is the young people who pay the price.
Glen Gerreyn
Thousands of years ago only Kings, Queens, Emperors and Pharaohs had the ability to lead and act on behalf of others. Hundreds of years ago it was the Industrialists who prospered. But today, literally anyone in an old dusty garage – or from their bedroom still displaying superhero posters – can build a platform that transforms communities around the world. That is extraordinary. And yet, we still tell our kids to play it safe.
A Million Dollars in Their Pocket
A young person today with a smartphone has hardware and software built into that device that would have cost their parents one million dollars in the 1980s. Think about what that means. They carry in their pocket: video conferencing capabilities, HD video cameras, GPS navigation, voice memos, world time zones, productivity tools, music players, word processors, encyclopaedias, and access to millions of people via social media. With one click they have libraries of free books and catalogues of free music. They carry a million dollars’ worth of capability in their hand – and we tell them the only way forward is to become a doctor or a lawyer.
Young people today have the tools to build a start-up, create a following, or begin a movement of change. They live in an age of lavishness of choice and opportunity. The question is not whether the tools are available. The question is whether parents, teachers and communities are creating the conditions in which young people feel encouraged, supported and brave enough to use them.
What this means for parents
When we are serious about encouraging children to pursue their passions, we are not telling them it will be easy. We are telling them it will be worth it. There is a meaningful difference. Passion-driven work requires discipline, resilience and commitment – precisely the qualities we want our children to develop. A child who works hard at something they love will develop more of these qualities than a child grinding through a qualification they resent.
Failure Is Not Fatal
I was recently invited to participate on a popular television panel and the question put to the group was: “Should you tell your kids they can be whatever they want?” The other panel members said a resounding no. Their concern was the hurt and disappointment a child might feel if they fail. I understand that instinct too. But my view was somewhat different.
I believe failure is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. In fact, one of the most important things we can teach our children – and ourselves – is that failure is not fatal. We have to stop acting as though it is. The worst thing that can happen to us is not failure. It is boredom. It is settling. It is spending decades in a career chosen from fear rather than fire.
Failure is not fatal. The worst thing that can happen to your child is not that they fail – it is that they never truly try.
Glen Gerreyn
Sadly, too many people play it safe, miss opportunities to live out their passions, and end up as bored and discontent adults. I truly believe life is hard. Whether you pursue your dream or not, you will encounter seasons of loss, disruption and pain. So if life is going to be hard either way, why not spend your days – and encourage your children to spend their days – doing those things they are truly passionate about? Those things that will add energy, meaning and flow to their world.
Why Encouraging Children to Pursue Their Passions Matters
When I visit schools and speak with students, I am consistently struck by the gap between what young people are capable of and what they believe they are allowed to want. Many students have been told – directly or indirectly – that their dreams are unrealistic. That they need to be more practical. That they should hedge their bets and study something safe. This message, however well intentioned, is a quiet kind of harm.
Encouraging children to pursue their passions is not naive. It is one of the most practical things a parent or educator can do. Because a young person who knows what they love, who has been given permission to develop it, and who has the resilience to persist through difficulty – that young person is going to contribute something remarkable to the world. Not despite the challenges they face, but because of them.
Let us leave Medicine, Accountancy and Law to those with the intuitive gifts to heal, reconcile and defend. Life is too short to act out of fear, or because someone else told you to. The world needs more people doing what they genuinely love. Start with your own child.
Want to inspire the young people in your world? At The HopeFULL Institute we deliver powerful school seminars that help students discover their strengths, build resilience and find their purpose. Book a school seminar or visit The HopeFULL Institute to learn more.