Most of the time, I use these weekly links round-ups as a chance to share bits and pieces about non-financial aspects of my life. Today’s a bit different. Today’s edition features a bit of a public service.
Every summer, more than 2000 bicyclists participate in Cycle Oregon, a week-long tour of our beautiful state. I’ve done the weekend ride before, and someday hope to the extended adventure. It’s a big deal and a lot of fun.
This year’s event had a sour ending, though. One rider, Mark Bosworth, went missing on the final night. In the past, Bosworth has struggled with cancer, and his family is worried that a reoccurrence (or a related infection) may have caused him to lose his way.
Here’s info from the official Find Mark site:
Mark disappeared late on the night of Friday, September 16 in Riddle, Oregon, after volunteering with Cycle Oregon. He seemed off and confused the day he went missing, as well as in the days leading up to his disappearance.
Initially, while at Cycle Oregon, Mark had been asked to shuttle riders and equipment from place to place, but organizers were concerned about his driving. He only rode one day of the event because he was having trouble following the signs. He was often seen standing alone, staring – behavior unusually to him. Mark shrugged off concerns from those around him, saying he had a headache and was tired.
In the weeks prior to his Cycle Oregon ride, Mark was repeating himself, according to his daughter Kelly. He also seemed less active and his wife, Julie, said he had complained of bad headaches. It was concerning enough that he scheduled appointments with his oncologist and ophthalmologist – but made them for after Cycle Oregon. An avid cyclist, he didn’t want to miss it.
The family asks anyone who sees Mark to call 911 immediately. Those who think they may have seen him previously are asked to call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 541-957-2099. A $10,000 reward is offered for information that leads to finding Mark.
Mark’s family and friends (including Kris’s sister, who works with him) are eager to find him safe and sound. If you’ve seen him, please let someone know.
That aside, here are some recent personal finance stories from around the web:
First off, as a kind of follow-up to the discussion that developed over this morning’s post, there’s an article at Consumerism Commentary that asks, “Is following your passion a luxury?” Flexo’s article, which gets bonus points for referencing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (always lurking in the background here at GRS!), is full of good sense. Here’s the conclusion:
While it’s good to persuade young students to follow their passion — and this is a great topic for motivational speakers for adults as well — it’s more important to look at any particular individual before condoning leaving reason behind to search out a living following a passion. For some, the risk of financial failure could be a good motivational tool for bringing about success while following a passion, but for others, it’s nothing more than false hope and results in a delay in building a solid financial foundation.
Meanwhile, Jim Yih at the Canadian Financial Blog also has a brilliant little article. Yih argues that the art of doing something with money comes from the doing. “Reading is good. Researching is good. Discussing is good but doing is great because it is what creates results.” Exactly. Or, as I say, it’s all about action not words.
It’s been a long time since I linked to Parent Hacks, and that’s a mistake. Asha runs a great blog with lots of useful tips for those with growing families. Yesterday, for instance, she shared tips for putting kids in charge of their own spending. Now if only Kris and I could get our five cats to take charge of their own finances…
Finally, over at Grumpy Rumblings, Nicole (or Maggie — I can never tell who is writing) has some thoughts on how couples share finances. We’ve covered this topic a lot at GRS in the past, but it’s always interesting to read other takes on the subject.
This article is about Spare Change
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J.D. – really sad news about Mark Bosworth, I saw that in the paper, and many of my coworkers ride Cycle Oregon every year. Thoughts and prayers to him and his family that he will be found safe.
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Ugh, I really wish the perpetual myth of “follow your passion and happiness will come!” would hurry up and die. Unfortunately we have a plethora of bloggers and “life coaches” who spread it like a STD—and leave as much suffering in their wakes.
Instead of rehashing the reasons, I’ll link to a blogger who does a pretty good job of dispelling the myth:
http://calnewport.com/blog/2010/01/23/beyond-passion-the-science-of-loving-what-you-do/
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Damn, this is very sad– my best to Mark, his family and friends.
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I agree with David, #2. Yes, following your passion certainly is, in many cases, a luxury. I even think it borders on irresponsibility to encourage someone to blindly follow one’s passion; I cannot even begin to count the number of English literature majors who are passionate about English literature but cannot find a job outside of clerical work. There has to be a balance struck between gainful employment and a person’s interests. If you’re lucky enough to have a “passion” that is both enjoyable and profitable, kudos. But in my experience, that is rare.
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I have a slightly different view on following your passion. Often people who say they want to follow their passion don’t want to do the hard work that allows them to eventually achieve their goals. The people I know who are passionate about what they do have spent years working through both good and bad jobs in order to get to a level where the rewards, both financial and otherwise, are truly satisfying. They wake up in the morning excited about what they’ll do that day. They don’t love every minute of every day – sometimes they’re stressed, sometimes they have bad bosses, sometimes it’s a day of paperwork and it’s a regular boring day.
For the record, I’m talking about an aircraft mechanic (started by stripping paint off of airplanes and now has his own business taking care of coporate jets); a head carpenter on traveling musical theater (this is a top job, but she started out working all of the local venues as day labor); a Director of Corporate Giving (he gives away other people’s money and coordinates emergency services and goods for people who need them, started with small foundations and worked up); and an elementary school teacher (the English lit major who loves sharing the joy of reading with her kids, started with substitute teaching).
I don’t think it’s irresponsible to suggest people follow their passions, only to suggest that the success comes magically from the passion. It doesn’t. The success comes from the hard work and planning, the enjoyment of that work comes from the passion.
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Thanks for the shout out to Mark. Like the majority of Portlanders, my family has ties to his. Thank you for using your “bully pulpit” to spread the word; he could be anywhere right now.
Thank you, JD. GRS readers, PLEASE keep an eye out for Mark.
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Oh hey! Thanks for linking to us. Today’s post on teaching tactics is a bit dull unless you’re into teaching (though I think it’s fantastic), but tomorrow’s post is on relationship lessons we have learned, so that should be exciting and well worth commenting on.
I hope folks find Mark Bosworth.
We agree with consumerism commentary on passion: http://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/the-whether-or-not-to-follow-your-dreams-post/
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So sad to read about the missing cyclist, Mark. I pray for peace for his family, and that he is found. It could be that he is a “John Doe” in a hospital somewhere, but I’m sure they have thought of that already…
That said, one of the biggest misconceptions about “following your passion” to me is the one that basically says you can live on it. Some of us find a great deal of personal fulfillment in following a passion that involves volunteerism, or other non-paying activity. Sometimes it’s OK for a job to just be a job, and you find a passion elsewhere. Just a thought…
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Thanks for making me feel better today. My kids are both in jobs they love, making enough to support themselves and travel and enjoy some evening out with friends.
But one of them had to learn the hard way, her first degree was in history and she has never used it professionally. She had to start in retail and is now in banking and working towards an accounting degree. During her college years, all she heard from her grandparents was “it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are happy.” But it took a sit down and talking to by me, six months after graduation to get her out of the “I should be happy, that’s all that counts” frame of mind. She pursued her dream and it didn’t work out, so she found another. But it took five years to get into the track of creating her happiness on and off the job. Grandma still repeats it and we still sit the kids down after they hear it and let them know that their drive and desire for happiness can be hard work, but rewarding.
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