Last year, I went to Snowsports Industries America (SIA)—one of the world’s biggest snow sports trade shows—like a kid in a candy shop. There were free stickers and t-shirts left and right, cutting edge pieces of gear and even free beer. As a winter sports fanatic, this was seriously a dream come true and I had the time of my life.
But this year was different, and, like most of us know, it’s pretty wild to look back on how much we can mature and grow over the course of a year. This year, it wasn’t about the free stuff or new gear or free beer for me. This year, it was simply about the people.
I was fortunate enough to be an intern for Snow Show Daily, the official magazine of SIA, and I spent two long days wandering around the convention center talking to a variety of people. I talked to kids, parents, business owners, stoners, drunks and just about every other character you’d expect from this industry. And I realized something throughout all of this that really got me thinking.
Never have I seen—or heard of—an industry where people are so incredibly thrilled with their careers. Everyone I talked with was so happy and so excited about everything going on around him or her.
For these folks, a business trip like this (almost everyone comes from outside of Colorado, and even outside of the United States in some cases) isn’t a drag, it’s one of the best weekends of their entire year. Like I said, there were kids there, and other people not necessarily on the job, but that only speaks greater to the awesome nature behind the event. If people are going to a business-oriented trade show just for fun, you know there’s something pretty darn cool going on.
So, what’s my point behind all these observations? Do what you love.
Yeah, everyone has told you that, and you might already be majoring in something your parents essentially decided on for you, but it’s not too late by any means to put some real thought into how you want to spend the rest of your life. I’m not trying to scare you by saying this, all I’m saying is that seeing how happy these people are with their lifestyle and the way they make a living really puts things in perspective.
Through DU, and the support of our friends and family, we all have a lot more opportunity than most people out there. So instead of becoming another white-collared desk jockey who sighs every morning when he or she wakes up, do something else—anything else. Whether that means starting a business, moving to the city of your dreams or dropping out of school to go live in the woods, just do what makes you happy.
On the final night of SIA, I was waiting for a cab outside of the convention center and could not stop smiling at my surroundings. Crowds of people were exiting the building with their arms around each other, hooting and hollering like it was the best day of their lives. And what made me smile is that these people are simply co-workers, and everyday is the best day of their lives because they contribute to the wellbeing of their passions.
We all have a lesson to learn from the kids, parents, business owners, stoners, drunks and all the other characters at SIA. Because life is too short to settle on anything less than the exemplary lives they live.
