Does What You Do Fuel Your Passion?

Related to My Genetics

One of the most significant things that I heard my grandmother say when I was a young child was that it was her desire “to always be a servant of others and never become one requiring service from others”. My grandmother was a devout Christian, as was her daughter, my mother. The result of their faith was instilled in me throughout my life, and I was taught to serve in the Christian way. Simply put, I was taught to love others as Christ loves me. My Christian education has always been a part of me even when I wasn’t noticing it.

I didn’t know as a child that my grandmother was as much a servant as I recently discovered but, even in her humility, and loving compassion for me, her lessons were passed down to me as if they were somehow part of our genetic makeup. My grandmother was much more than a servant. She was a servant-leader, a powerhouse in her local community. Her role in community action led to the creation and transfer of generational wealth that has been passed down in the underserved communities in southern (in many ways rural) Maryland for the last 50 years. Families that could never have dreamed of owning property have successfully acquired homes and passed those homes down to their children and their children’s children. In fact, an example of the wealth that my grandmother and other community leaders created can be understood in this way: a housing development was created whereby qualifying families were able to purchase homes for less than $10,000 about fifty years ago, and some of those homes today are worth as much as $250,000…and, in many cases, some of the original home purchasers still live in that community today. Her efforts to help those in need garnered her recognition from the local community in Mechanicsville, MD to the Maryland State House (posthumously), to even the then Pope John Paul II and the Vatican. My grandmother was not canonized a saint by a pope and nor did she qualify, but her efforts as a servant-leader in a small town were certainly recognized by one. I am proud we share the same genetics!

Finding My Way

As a high school sophomore, I still remember having no clue about what I wanted to be when I grew up. The thought of “adulting” hadn’t quite kicked in but I knew it was on the horizon. I took an assessment test at school and the results suggested I would be happiest in some sort of social work field. I ignored the suggestion, thinking my being in the social work industry was somehow flawed. Still searching for that elusive career path, I had the good sense to take elective classes in high school to see if there was something that might possibly interest me and thus, provide me with some sort of direction when I got to college. I’m not sure what possessed me to take an introduction to accounting course as an elective in my junior year, but I was pleasantly surprised! I finally found something that interested me, and it also made sense. From that point on, my plan was to be an accountant. It was great having direction, and a goal to focus on as scholastic aptitude tests and college applications began to come into full view.

College came and went, and it should be no surprise that I focused my time and effort on accounting classes during my time in college. My approach was flawed in that I tuned out any classes that were not business/accounting related. I only took those non-business classes that were required to graduate. Had I kept an open mind, I could have possibly found my passion much earlier in life and enjoyed both direction and passion simultaneously. Live and learn.

A few years later my career began as a staff accountant on Capitol Hill and shortly thereafter, I had my introduction into supervising staff in a regional public accounting firm…and the rest, they say, is history. I enjoyed the supervisory role for the opportunity to guide and mentor others. It required me to learn what I was teaching with a greater deal of care. It also required me to be accountable to myself and others and I enjoyed the responsibility. Thank God my first experience with supervising wasn’t a horror story!

One of the cons about accounting though is that it is monotonous. Same thing day in and day out but supervising staff takes a dynamic approach and a great attention to detail. I enjoyed sharing my knowledge and, more than that, I enjoyed helping others grow as professionals. Therefore, the people management side of business and accounting became part of the fuel that my passion required. I thought many times about changing professions but nothing I investigated felt like it was food to my soul. I neglected to mention that ultimately, I also chose the non-profit world and found that it felt good focusing on mission-driven work as opposed to solely focusing on money (there goes the genetics thing again).

My Awakening

Throughout the years, I always had folks seeking my opinion on all types of matters. I was happy to be of service, much like my grandmother, so I often did tax returns for free, spoke with prior supervisors, prior employees, and friends and colleagues about business matters and/or financial situations, and helped when friends tried their hand at politics and needed a campaign treasurer. I learned about Federal and State political action committees, and campaign finance reports while working on the Hill. I never thought anything about it, or even thought I would use the campaign finance experience once I left the Hill.

I think my natural curiosity is part of the reason I have such a breadth of knowledge and experience. My differing experiences are also why I can assist many folks in many different areas. I didn’t always recognize that the one constant in my prior experiences was that my enjoyment really came from helping people with challenges, concerns, or issues that they needed to think through. That realization became clear when my wife and I got involved in marriage ministry at our church a few years ago.

Ministry Involvement

I have a long history of being involved in religious ministry, I grew up in the Catholic Church and served as an altar boy in grade school, attended Christian summer camp, went on many retreats in middle and high school, served on parish councils, church finance councils, sang in choirs during and after college and enjoyed being a servant leader. It wasn’t until my wife & I became involved in facilitating marriage readiness classes that I realized how gratifying working with people on intimate issues can be. Coaching became our focus and there was no other fuel to my passion quite like helping people become better people. I mentioned earlier that I also enjoy the mission-driven work of nonprofits and I continue to work with mission driven organizations and their leaders.

The Blended Family & Community Involvement

My wife & I met almost nine years ago, both divorcees at the time, and married only months before the pandemic shut everything down in early 2020. Over the last three years, we have probably spent 30% or more of our time each year working with couples who were considering marriage. Over and above that, we work with couples working facing conflict and coaching them on how to better move forward. We continue this work currently, but our community involvement doesn’t stop there. Both my wife and I are members of “D9” organizations (I’m a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.). I have been a servant leader in my fraternity for many years (almost 13 years now). I have held many leadership positions in my local chapter and began leading our health and wellness committee this year. The amazing part is that none of this feels like work. It truly is where my passion lies. Much like my grandmother, I hope to always be a servant to others and never expect to be served. It has truly been a winding road for me, but it was of my own making. Nevertheless, I consider myself very fortunate, blessed, if you will because I enjoy what I do. A life of service to my fellow man and my community is food to my soul. I’ve found what fuels my passion, and you can too!

Professional Coaching from Hope Byus LLC

For those of you who could use an accountability partner for ongoing extra inspiration, a life coach can help you to find out what you need and can help inspire you to get there. Our goal is to successfully support you in realizing your full potential and assist in giving your life a new direction. Our task oriented, collaborative sessions will help you to identify any problems and concerns that stand in the way of achieving your goals, and we will support you in applying the actions I shared earlier. We understand that breakthroughs require growth and growth requires vision followed by consistent action to successfully reach your goals.