Interview with Brett Farmiloe - Pursue The Passion

If you did not catch my post featuring the group “Pursue The Passion,” you need to check out their site and get on their mailing list. Each morning I open up my mailbox and find a new post about the amazing experiences these guys are having on the road.

The group founded by Brett Farmiloe, is on their second tour (which kicked off this week). Brett’s bio on their website includes:

“Faced with a career decision upon graduation in May 2006, Brett conceived the idea of conducting exploratory interviews with influential professionals to discover the path to a passionate career. As founder of PTP, Brett’s goal is to create and develop resources that help individuals not only identify their passions, but also assist with the pursuit.”

That bio caught my attention quickly. I have posted about passion many times. Most people are not doing anything close to what they are passionate about. I asked Brett if I could interview him and he enthusiastically accepted. For those of you who are new to the workplace or veterans, there is something powerful in Brett’s message. You should read his answers several times. There is a lot of wisdom in Brett’s responses. After the interview, I admitted to Brett that I was holding on to something that was keeping me from potentially pursuing more passion.

The Interview - Eric Boehme, The Blogging Boss and Brett Farmiloe, Founder Pursue the Passion - June 20, 2007

Eric: When did you come up with the idea for “Pursue the Passion?”

Brett: When I was a senior in college the question of “what should I do with my life” hit me like never before. As an accounting major I was told that the natural next step was to accept an accounting job at a Big 4 firm and earns lots of money. The problem with this approach is that the whole process didn’t seem “natural” to me.

The more I talked with students and nervous inteview candidates in interview waiting rooms I found that the what should I do with my life question was on a lot of students minds, yet they had no where to turn to. So I decided that I needed to utilize my summer to figure “life” out, and who better to talk with than the people that had answered that question. I chronicled the career paths people had paved on my website so others could glean the guidance I was receiving, and began to establish a resource that not only students, but job seekers could turn to for inspiration, guidance, and support.

Eric: What was the most interesting thing you learned or discovered during the 2006 tour?

Brett: That there’s not an age that states you have to figure out life by age 22. Or 30, 40, or 50. Life is a process, and every step of the process prepares you for what you are ultimately “here” for.

Eric: How did the experiences of the 2006 tour help you to develop the 2007 tour?

Brett: Those experiences helped me, as an interviewer, to bring more out of the interviewee. They also prepared me for knowing it will be a long summer of peanut butter and jelly, inflated summer gas prices, and a lot of consumption of Red Bull.

Eric: What has it been like getting ready for the 2007 tour?

Brett: The tour kicks off July 2nd, but the best experience so far is knowing that we will fulfill our dreams with this tour. In 2006, we were left a little unfinished business on the playing field because we did not get to roadtrip the entire country due to mechanical issues of our RV Maggie Miracles. This summer we have a much stronger RV in Arvydis Sabonis (named after the former Portland Trail Blazer) and we are confident that this one will make it around.

Eric: What are the biggest challenges you face while touring?

Brett: Having four guys in an RV for a span of ninety days and fourteen thousand miles is the toughest challenge. There is absolutely no privacy because you can reach over and tap the other guy on the shoulder when you’re both sleeping. We’re lucky that we have all been friends for a few years, so that chemistry tends to offset the challenge a bit.

Eric: Some people have trouble discovering their true passions. How did you find your passion?

Brett: I believe that you don’t find your passion, but you develop it. I’m passionate about people. I love to interact, help, and have meaningful conversations with people every day.

I first found that people were an interest of mine during the interview process in my senior year of college. This is where I learned that I enjoyed hearing about the life journeys people have taken. When I decided to embark on the first Pursue the Passon tour, this interest fluctuated into something greater as I talked with more and more people. The interesting part of this whole process is that it didn’t become a passion of mine until it was taken away from me. When I started my corporate accounting job I did not have that constant interaction with people and the meaningful conversations that I had enjoyed while on tour. So I left a month ago to pursue my passion, because I realized that talking with people and helping others is something that I love doing.

Eric: How do you see you living your passion through your work?

Brett: Like I said above, people are my passion. So when my work focuses on people, I feel that I am living my passion by doing the things I enjoy. I am also doing the other things I love to do through my work with PTP. Writing, traveling, developing myself, utilizing my creativity, thinking about new ways to help others…it’s all things I love doing, and I am truly fortunate to have this opportunity.

Eric: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Brett: This is a tough question because I’ve always said that it will take care of itself in the long run. I plan on continuing to pursue my passion and see where it takes me. Where I “hope” it takes me is around the world to conduct interviews with people from a variety of different cultures. I’d love to talk with them about the obstacles that face them in following their dreams, because a lot of countries don’t have the opportunity like we have here in America. I think it would be very powerful to get a global perspective on this topic.

So in five years I hope that I’m doing the same thing I’m doing now…striving to be an inspiration, uncovering stories that provide guidance, and utilizing our tours as a support network for all of those aspiring individuals who want to better themselves. Because if we can find a way to pursue our passions, anybody can.

Eric: Last question. I think this is probably in the back of people’s minds as they read this interview. Many people want to get out of the corporate jungle and run after their passion, but wonder how they can do it financially.

How did you guys fund the tour? How can you encourage readers that money does not have to stand in between you and your passions?

Brett: I’ve always said that its not the money that is holding you back from pursuing your passion. Its the lifestyle you demand that is. With us, we are cutting corners you never knew existed to make this trip happen. We are couch surfing America to save money on hotels. We have sought out sponsors that are helping us with covering expenses like food and gas. In return, we are sacrificing any type of luxurious lifestyle to pursue our passion in a 1995 Four Winds RV.

That’s what you have to do in order to pursue your passion. You have to sacrifice certain aspects of your lifestyle to make things happen financially. Give up going out on Saturday nights so you can make copies at Kinko’s. Say goodbye to Trader Joe’s and say hello to Sam’s Club. Farewell to the dreams of driving a new SUV and welcome the opportunity to drive a used, gas friendly Mazda Protege.

There are a million excuses to say you can’t do something because the finances don’t work. But if you plan, save, and make sacrifices in your lifestyle, then there will be no excuse for you to say that something is not financially possible.