Chase your passion and you'll find success - right? Well then...

...I need some serious advice from everyone in regard to this board and the wisdom imparted here on a regular basis: "find a passion first, and the rest comes naturally - find what you TRULY love to do... and you'll be able to make money from that vantage point" ...right? I mean - isn't that what we've all read here (and everywhere else) time and again? And isn't it true? I believe so - but in regard to myself I've been trying to figure a way to do this without becoming:

1/ A sleaze merchant
2/ A p*rn site operator
3/ A pimp
4/ a myriad of the many things that fall into one of the above (or other unsavory categories).

I'm not being facetious, so bear with me please... My passion, the one thing that makes me yearn for nothing more - like many red-blooded American males (if you haven't guessed already) is quite simple:

Beautiful Women.

Yeah... I'm being honest. Probably more honest than most guys are when they hear that "follow your passion" advice. It's gotta' be the first thing any guy under the age of 40 immediately wants to blurt out - but can't for fear of being labeled a "horn dog" or hound of some sort.

Okay - enough on explanations of the obvious ... let me get on with this...

Like I mentioned at the start, I don't want to run a magazine - the marketplace is too crowded - I don't want to deal in p*rn sites, or deal with Models of any sort (those women are the embodiement of evil) ...I don't want to run a topless bar... I don't want to deal in the sleaze trade ... and seriously - who wants to photograph what you can't get your mits on? All those silly magazines (Maxim, FHM, etc.etc.) are vile. On top of that - it's all fantasy (I refer back to the "you can't get your mits on" 'em statement - so why bother with it? Who wants to just "look"? Conversely - I'm not talking about possessions either... I might be a perv, but I'm a benign one).

I don't mean to sound off on all the things I don't want to do - it makes it appear that I'm directionless or working in reverse ... but actually it's really quite the opposite - I've simply run into a brick wall - and have never quite found a way around it.

Opinions please (for those of you not too embarrassed to comment - hey just do what I'm doing and list yourself as "anonymous").

Lastly, if I've offended the sensibilities of any women out there, I humbly apologize ... and if I've offended any guys - hey, stop being hypocritical... I'm saying what you've always been thinking.

Anon:

> ...I need some serious advice from everyone
> in regard to this board and the wisdom
> imparted here on a regular basis: "find
> a passion first, and the rest comes
> naturally - find what you TRULY love to
> do... and you'll be able to make money from
> that vantage point" ...right? I mean -
> isn't that what we've all read here (and
> everywhere else) time and again? And isn't
> it true?

Not quite the line we take here. I've posted a few times debunking this "myth" or at least showing how people go astray in their pursuit of "do what you love."

For instance...

You don't want to do a mag. Good... a mag is not what you love, is it? Nor is taking photos, right? Nor is designing websites, correct?

And while those thing might contain images of this thing you love... they intrinsically are not what you love.

Which leads to the question... what actually do you love?

You say "beautiful women" but that is not specific enough.

What about them do you love? Do you just love the fact they exist? Do you like looking at them? If so, where (under what circumstances - in the mall, walking down the street, etc.), in or out of clothes, natural or professional, blond, brunette, red hair, etc., etc. Real life. Film. Do you like talking to them?

Get it?

What aspect of the entire "beautiful women" arena do you like (love)?

> Lastly, if I've offended the sensibilities
> of any women out there, I humbly apologize
> ... and if I've offended any guys - hey,
> stop being hypocritical... I'm saying what
> you've always been thinking.

Want to be truly honest? Stop apologising for things you aren't sorry about. If you were truly sorry or even doubtful of your post you would not have posted it, would you?

It would also be good to cease trying to justifying your post by trying to lump all men into a single mold. All men are not alike. Some are downright pathetic scumbags who should be locked up for the vile sexual things they do. Others have higher morals and don't let sex run their entire life - they view sex as a natural bodily function with which it is to be shared with someone special.

YOU might be a perv (or whatever you label yourself as), but not every guy under forty is like you. Got it?

Michael Ross

To: The Anonymous Don Juan

You’ve presented us with quite the pickle.

I believe that the idea of “doing what you love and having the money is follow” is true.

Of course, money has a roundabout way of coming around, but if doing what you love, one thing is for sure. You’ll have a good time.

Um, especially in your case.

Now, as to your particular “problem”...

I’d like to probe this a little further. I mean, true, like you say, as a male, I find women absolutely intoxicatingly wonderful (and equally perplexing). And like any young man, I would do just about anything for love. But I’ve always found myself with other interests in life…

Isn’t there anything else that you enjoy doing? (not judging, just probing & trying to help)

Reading good books?
Cooking gourmet or less than gourmet meals?
Swimming?
Baseball cards?
Rebuilding engines? ha
Playing an instrument?
Running?
Boats?
Golf?

C’mon, give me something to work with here.

I never thought what it would be like to have beautiful women be my only passion. Just what I think about most of the time while pretending to do other things. Joking.

Sort of.

-Erik

P.S. If you really wish to make your passion for beautiful women into your livelihood, I would suggest the observation of beauty in some way. True, pimp and even magazine publisher may be ruled out, but artist is a perfectly normal route.

Ah, but maybe you don’t want to draw or wish to learn how.

P.P.S. Really, it looked like the only reason you ruled out publishing a magazine is the market is too crowded. C'mon, this is your passion we're talking about here.

You said, "wants to photograph what you can't get your mits on?" By that, it sounds like you actually don't just want to observe beauty. Well, maybe this is how p*rn stars are made.

Michael -

> Anon:

> Not quite the line we take here. I've posted
> a few times debunking this "myth"
> or at least showing how people go astray in
> their pursuit of "do what you
> love."

- Granted (though I missed your posts on the subject, I'll search for them).

> For instance...
> You don't want to do a mag. Good... a mag is
> not what you love, is it? Nor is taking
> photos, right? Nor is designing websites,
> correct?

> And while those thing might contain images
> of this thing you love... they intrinsically
> are not what you love.

> Which leads to the question... what actually
> do you love?
> You say "beautiful women" but that
> is not specific enough.

- I suppose I was trying to be a bit less crude than the board would allow. How about - Pursuing women? How about clandestine affairs? How about romantic adventures? Kinda' the bridge between what women like in those silly romance novels and what guys envision in their p*rnographic "Penthouse Forum" fantasies.

Does this make more sense now?

> What about them do you love? Do you just
> love the fact they exist? Do you like
> looking at them? If so, where (under what
> circumstances - in the mall, walking down
> the street, etc.), in or out of clothes,

- Preferably out.

> natural or professional, blond, brunette,
> red hair, etc., etc. Real life. Film. Do you
> like talking to them?

- All of the above in various settings and encounters. Ya' see, good looking women, to the male - according to neuroscientists - trigger neurons in the same brain wave pattern that a good meal does. So my answer (taking this into account) to your question is simple - do you eat the same meal every day?

> Get it?

- Yes but again...

> What aspect of the entire "beautiful
> women" arena do you like (love)?

- see the above.

> Want to be truly honest? Stop apologising
> for things you aren't sorry about. If you
> were truly sorry or even doubtful of your
> post you would not have posted it, would
> you?

- Ahhh now Michael - all due respect sir, here's where you've got me wrong. I apologized to the WOMEN on this board for being crude. Some - many in fact - could easily find my post offensive. One cannot please everybody and for those that are more "old school" I apologized to them as they may not have come to this forum to hear such things. I stand by it.

> It would also be good to cease trying to
> justifying your post by trying to lump all
> men into a single mold. All men are not
> alike. Some are downright pathetic scumbags
> who should be locked up for the vile sexual
> things they do. Others have higher morals
> and don't let sex run their entire life -
> they view sex as a natural bodily function
> with which it is to be shared with someone
> special.

- Once again, dear sir, I have to take issue ... I think you (or those that you speak of anyway) are in the minority on this. For instance, I have high morals and I believe it's got nothing to do with my sex drive and my craving for what I truly enjoy most.

> YOU might be a perv (or whatever you label
> yourself as), but not every guy under forty
> is like you. Got it?

The perv comment was mostly tongue-in-cheek ...but for me to be honest about this AND pointing out my belief that most men feel the same way is not wrong (and I WAS being honest) - and again I stand behind it. But please don't let this disagreement change the subject - you've made some good points and I've always looked forward to your posts on this forum.

Anon.

Erik -

Your "455 in the backyard" might've gotten a chuckle outta' me - but after reading this post you're quite the man after my own heart....

> To: The Anonymous Don Juan
> I’d like to probe this a little further. I
> mean, true, like you say, as a male, I find
> women absolutely intoxicatingly wonderful
> (and equally perplexing). And like any young
> man, I would do just about anything for
> love.

--> FINALLY someone who understands me!

> Isn’t there anything else that you enjoy
> doing? (not judging, just probing &
> trying to help)

--Actually yes - writing and a few other goals (things I'm not quite good at yet - want to mention them, but I think they might comprimise my Anonymous status)

> C’mon, give me something to work with here.

> P.S. If you really wish to make your passion
> for beautiful women into your livelihood, I
> would suggest the observation of beauty in
> some way. True, pimp and even magazine
> publisher may be ruled out, but artist is a
> perfectly normal route.

-- This is pretty interesting - but I've not quite the talent... and like I mention - just observing doesn't quite hack it (after all - isn't that what we do everyday with all the T&A on the airwaves?

> P.P.S. Really, it looked like the only
> reason you ruled out publishing a magazine
> is the market is too crowded. C'mon, this is
> your passion we're talking about here.

-- Good point ... hmm... I wonder what could stand out in such a crowded field? One must start with the Market oriented approach - right? Hmmm... hmm... I've got an idea actually, a very niche - sub-niche market ... hmm... I'd like to say what it is, but REALLY don't want to offend anyone here. (this goes beyond what you might expect - not in a terrible way - just in a uncomfortable way)

> You said, "wants to photograph what you
> can't get your mits on?" By that, it
> sounds like you actually don't just want to
> observe beauty. Well, maybe this is how p*rn
> stars are made.

LOL ...Erik that's one extreme end of the spectrum... a bit too crude for me.

Hmm... difficult to explain how I view all this. I guess, to make it more clear, I'm the kinda' guy that prefers the company of a woman over guys... but am quite masculine. Again, to put it simply I'm just at the fringe end of what one might expect outta' a male soap star (not saying I look that good or have that charisma) ...but minus the silly cliches.

Anyway to add a few more "don't wanna's" ...I don't want to write some silly guide on "how to succeed with women"... I don't want to run a modeling agency ... arrgh.

I suppose when one targets women as their only passion they end up never achieving that goal because of the very nature of women themselves (though I've been rather successful so far ...just not to the level I'd prefer).

Anon.

Here's an idea: write *******. I noticed in a different reply you made that you also like writing and, if you are any good at it, that's an option for you.

Now I personally don't know anything about that market (not my thing) but I have worked with some companies designing their books and they have told me there's a very larger demand. In fact, there are quite a few independent publisher who deal in just *******.

Worth checking into -

tam

> - I suppose I was trying to be a bit less
> crude than the board would allow. How about
> - Pursuing women? How about clandestine
> affairs? How about romantic adventures?
> Kinda' the bridge between what women like in
> those silly romance novels and what guys
> envision in their p*rnographic
> "Penthouse Forum" fantasies.

> Does this make more sense now?

> - Preferably out.

> - All of the above in various settings and
> encounters. Ya' see, good looking women, to
> the male - according to neuroscientists -
> trigger neurons in the same brain wave
> pattern that a good meal does. So my answer
> (taking this into account) to your question
> is simple - do you eat the same meal every
> day?

> - Yes but again...

> - see the above.

> - Ahhh now Michael - all due respect sir,
> here's where you've got me wrong. I
> apologized to the WOMEN on this board for
> being crude. Some - many in fact - could
> easily find my post offensive. One cannot
> please everybody and for those that are more
> "old school" I apologized to them
> as they may not have come to this forum to
> hear such things. I stand by it.

> - Once again, dear sir, I have to take issue
> ... I think you (or those that you speak of
> anyway) are in the minority on this. For
> instance, I have high morals and I believe
> it's got nothing to do with my sex drive and
> my craving for what I truly enjoy most.

> The perv comment was mostly tongue-in-cheek
> ...but for me to be honest about this AND
> pointing out my belief that most men feel
> the same way is not wrong (and I WAS being
> honest) - and again I stand behind it. But
> please don't let this disagreement change
> the subject - you've made some good points
> and I've always looked forward to your posts
> on this forum.

> Anon.

Hi,

Masked man, you're very interesting and I will read every message you post.

You wrote:
> "find
> a passion first, and the rest comes
> naturally - find what you TRULY love to
> do... and you'll be able to make money from
> that vantage point" ...right? I mean -
> isn't that what we've all read here (and
> everywhere else) time and again? And isn't
> it true?

I believe I've fired a few holes in that myth as part of the onslaught of messages I post here. Checking the archives (Dien: you do backup your message archives, I hope) I find this so-called gem:

http://www.sowpub.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?read=11343

- And -

http://www.sowpub.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?read=11342

You wrote:
> Like I mentioned at the start, I don't want
> to run a magazine - the marketplace is too
> crowded - I don't want to deal in p*rn
> sites,

That market is also too crowded, plus America is on a trend toward becoming more straitlaced, and as a trader I always follow the overriding trend. (It's interesting that one of the unwritten mottos of Bush's Justice Department seems to be "Less Bush!")

You wrote:
> or deal with Models of any sort
> (those women are the embodiement of evil)

Gawd that is so true! (... shudder ...)

You wrote:
> - I've simply run into a brick wall - and
> have never quite found a way around it.

IMHO it's because the myth about finding your passion and the money will follow sounds good but doesn't work.

You wrote:
> Opinions please (for those of you not too
> embarrassed to comment - hey just do what
> I'm doing and list yourself as
> "anonymous").

I've got tons of opinions. :-) Like the one I used as my 'Subject.' Instead of finding your passion and the money will follow, find a bunch of money and your passion will follow.

Hope this helps in some way,

- Boyd

OK so I like classic cars. I've been going to car shows since I was 15. Anyway I found that I would miss a lot of shows because I would not find out about them until they were over or never at all. So I thought others must have the same problem so I started carshowguide.com. It's been online since April of this year. The site has been getting some positive reviews. I go to car shows and people know who I am and thank me for the great resource. The problem is it's a lot of work to promote and to keep info comming in. I need to find a way to make it profitable but have not been able to come up with any thing. Any thoughts on how I could make this site (www.carshowguide.com) profitable?


http://www.carshowguide.com

I concur with what Boyd and some of the
others are saying about following your
passion but be sensible.

Another way to think of it is what
type of people do you want to work
with as colleagues and customers/clients.

Many lawyers leave their professions - despite
the financial rewards - because they can't
stand other lawyers!

I have a friend in the dog trade that no
longer is show dog handler because she
couldn't stand the petty jealousies of
the other handlers but still loves and
works with dogs in other capacities.

I think the recommendation to follow
your passion really means to pick a business
you like because you're going to have
boring days, you're going to have tough
times and you're going to have cash flow
problems. If you hate what you do to begin
with, you have minimal motivation to stay with
it.

As for beautiful women, you've had some
suggestions already for businesses. If
you ever intend to settle down, you might
think beyond your 20s and try to see
yourself in your 50s and what you'd like
to see there - a wife? children? a business
with your name on it?

Good luck.


I still prefer dogs

Tam --

> Here's an idea: write *******.

GREAT idea! (I've actually been told I might be good at this)

> Now I personally don't know anything about
> that market (not my thing) but I have worked
> with some companies designing their books
> and they have told me there's a very larger
> demand. In fact, there are quite a few
> independent publisher who deal in just
> *******.

-- Any names you can drop of who's big? I'll be happy to research them online - but if you can give me a starting point company(or two) I'd very much appreciate it!

Thanks!

Anon