Passion Profile: Andrew Ng, Serial Entrepreneur

This post is the first in a new series that I’m calling “Passion Profiles”, thoughts and experiences from people who have pursued success on their own terms.  Andrew is remarkable for pursuing his passion at a young age.

Think you’re working too hard? You’re in the wrong Job!

So, what do you think of the title of this little article? You’re probably wondering who this “guest” writer is who has wondered on to this incredible blog and has the nerve to announce that many people – quite possibly including you – are in the wrong job. Can I further that image for you a little by saying that I turned 19 about a week ago and drafted this article up sitting around the remains of a campfire during a little camping trip? Now you can firmly fix in your mind the image of a “young and arrogant” teenager who is telling you your job is wrong because you work too hard.

Keep that image in your mind – it’s important.

Let me bring your thoughts round to campfires and wood. Wood burns (quite merrily), during which point the fire is vibrant and full of energy. It does not look as if the wood is expelling energy or is working too hard to produce a beautiful little fire. Wood naturally burns well.

Now let’s think a bit about plastic. Plastic also burns – but please don’t burn it, it’s incredibly bad for the environment. Burning plastic gives off a horrible smell and is generally unpleasant to be around. Face it – plastic wasn’t designed to burn and burning it will never really do any good to anybody.

In the workplace, are you wood, or are you plastic?

Passion in your work is like wood burning – you’re expending huge amounts of energy and you’re creating something powerful, but it doesn’t feel like hard work. Every morning you’re geared up ready to flame in to action and let your passion burn through your work. You could work 16 hours a day and most of the time it won’t feel like hard work because you naturally suit that job and that working environment.

Plastic in your work is unpleasant – you’re not in a job that suits your talents and allows you to express your passions throughout your daily activities. What does this mean? In practical terms, you should be working somewhere different and doing something different.

Let me tell you a bit more about myself now. I started my first company – Fat Mouse Productions Ltd – when I was 17 with a friend who was 16. We were both still in high school You may have considered starting a business yourself, you may have started one, you may think everyone who runs their own companies is crazy, but you can probably take a stab at the challenges facing two teenagers building a media company while still at school.

I want you to think about the challenges facing your own career development and the challenges facing you in your route to a career that you feel passionate about. Can you channel your passion to “be where you want to be” in to a driving motivational force that inspires your actions every minute of every day? I truly believe that every person on this earth can achieve far more than they dare to imagine. If you can generate the necessary drive to pursue your dreams and ambitions you will be successful in a job that you are truly passionate about.

I’ll tell you one final snippet of information about me. It’s now been about one and a half years since I started Fat Mouse Productions Ltd. The company has developed at a considerable pace and we’ve spun out new businesses – Expanding Web and re:Markable – with further ventures due to launch over the next 6 months. Alongside business, I’ve developed a career as an artist, speaker, and writer. Of all my passions, I can now pick what I want to dedicate most time to; completing painting commissions, writing books, or developing businesses. The choices are endless and endlessly enjoyable.

How was this all possible in such a short space of time? Does 18 hours a day, 6 days a week for a year sound like “working too hard”? Answer: probably. But to me, it was 18 hours a day, 6 days a week pursuing a selection of highly enjoyable hobbies. That is what passion does to your career – “work” becomes an extension of life, not an obligation you must fulfill in order to pay the bills.

Want to know some great news? You’ve already taken the first step to this kind of career – you’ve used your initiative by finding and reading this blog. Here are a couple more things that you can do:

1) Identify your passions and what you want to be doing for a living,

2) Draw on your passions to find the motivation and energy to pursue your passions as your career.

Above all, believe in yourself. When you believe in you, others will as well.

Andrew Ng is a serial entrepreneur; co-founder and the Managing Director of media innovation company Fat Mouse Productions Ltd, and an Executive Consultant at re:Markable – a positive communications agency that he started in 2009. He is currently authoring a book about business and a novel and is preparing for a solo art exhibition to be held in the historic city of Edinburgh.

Campfire:

photo credit: Kirrus

Related posts:

1. Passion Profile: Josh Cary, Entrepreneur
2. Passion Profile: Bethany North, Coffee Fanatic
3. Gary Vaynerchuk on passion at work: Crush it!
4. What is your manifesto? The path to passion
5. Putting passion into your everyday: Create a project