Primer

Copyright Hilary Kennedy

The Love of My Life

By Hilary Kennedy

There was once a Sex and the City episode where the topic of discussion was whether or not you can only have two great loves in your entire life. When I tried to think of what my two could be, I realized that I wasn’t certain about one, and the other was my career. Now, I realize there is something slightly pathetic about claiming one of my great loves is being a host on television. However, I think there are a few out there who feel the same way about their career. For those of you who don’t, it’s high time you found at least one great love of your life and followed that passion.

When it comes to choosing a career, the cliché is do something you love and the money will come. Although the cautious might say otherwise, I agree with the first statement. When I was six, I decided to become an actor. I couldn’t believe that people get paid to pretend to be characters, or in my case, be themselves. It’s an absurd concept, really, but I love everything about it. So….what do you love to do? When you have free time, how do you spend it? If you had to choose a profession for life and NOT get paid for it, which one would you choose? Once you identify that (or at least narrow it down,) you can start figuring out how to make that great love make money for you.

If your “great love” is becoming a ski instructor in Vail and you live in Orlando, then you have some thinking to do. Compromise and becoming a water skiing instructor? Or make the big move? In my case, my home base is in the south, but I commute to both coasts for work when necessary. This way, I stay close to friends and loved ones, but I am still able to enjoy a little travel. There are probably more possibilities than you think even if your dream career seems out of reach. The next best thing you can do is find a mentor. Never underestimate a seasoned pro with good connections–people love to talk about their successes and how they got there, so open your ears. If you don’t already know a possible mentor candidate, fire off an email to friends and family to see if they might have one in mind for you to contact. If that fails, try a message board online for professionals or enthusiasts. I lucked out and had a college professor and former boss that were both willing to coach me step by step on possible avenues to try. When I needed it, one of them even wrote me a glowing review for my book, Career Diary of a TV Host.

I guess the last piece of advice when you are pursuing your great love is to make your dream fit your life instead of fitting your life to your dream. What I mean by that is, although you might have to make a few sacrifices to make it happen, don’t let go of the intangibles that will benefit you long after your career love affair is over. We all need close friends, a special someone, or close confidante that won’t take a back seat to our passions. Make your dream work with the fantastic existence you have now, and when it does, you’ll still have your cheering section with you.

Hilary Kennedy was voted one of the Ten Most Beautiful Women in Dallas for 2008 by D Magazine. She worked as the first female entertainement host for the Dallas Stars and continued her hosting work with a home and lifestyle show in Dallas with over a million viewers a month. See more of Hilary at her website, www.hilarykennedy.com.

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