I obsessed over it – I purchased the latest computer parts, tweaked the game settings, and even played alone in servers to tweak  to improve performance. While I wasn’t playing the game I would have dreams about it and think of other strategies to improve. It was wonderful. While I played Half-Life I was still able to focus on my personal relationships, and maintain high standards for academics.

After a couple of years I became a top 500 (out of the 8 million sold) player in the world. I got to the level of talent where I would need to play 40 hours a week to compete against the other “elites.” Once I got to that point my passion for the game started to transition to a passion for rowing. The time I spent playing Half-Life was almost directly replaced by my time spent training for crew and managing the club.

Once again it was wonderful. I would develop a strategy with the coach and the board of the club on how to grow the program, how to row more successfully, and how to have fun. It consumed my life and I had incredible confidence and drive. Even though I was consumed by these activities I was still able to maintain the secondary aspects of my life (job, school, girls, etc). It was because this passion created energy that touched everything I did.

Finally my crew season and my college career wrapped up and I was off to the “real world.” I took jobs that I enjoyed, but ultimately I was not passionate about. The buzz was great for the first couple months of the job, but after a while it became a burden and my life became exhausting. I was no longer able to handle multiple activities like I did in the past and my drive was at a personal low.

I would switch jobs hoping that the new company would provide something the previous company did not, only to be disappointed. It wasn’t until I purchased another video game last week (Portal 2 for the Xbox 360) that I realized what was going on with my career. I got hooked to this game and remembered the feeling of literally being addicted to something. My goal was to finish this game in the quickest amount of time and in two days I had it done.

What the game provided was that sense of passion that I had lost throughout my career. As sad as it is to say, I was reinvigorated by a video game. I realized that my time at Merrill Lynch was more hollow than I thought, and it was time for me to quit. This past Friday I resigned from Merrill Lynch to pursue my passions.

A key to a successful career is a passion for the job which will help carry you through the years. It is important to not make sacrifices in taking a job with hopes that it will get better down the road. Deep down you know what you want to be doing, and if you allow yourself to chase your dreams you will find that passion. I will be working independently getting back into the creative field. My goals will be to build a business and help other companies grow through improving their marketing strategies.

If you know of any companies that have hit a marketing plateau, let me know or forward my information to them. Discover your passions, follow your passions, and success will come to you.

But that brings me to Ben Heckendorn.  If you are a frequent reader of Engadget you are probably familiar with who he is, but for those who are not he likes to hack up consoles (both new and old).  He just recently finished his fifth version of his Xbox 360 Laptop which I think is way cool.  So go over to his blog and check out this way cool project.

http://benheck.com/07-01-2009/new-xbox-360-portable-revision-3
Image courtesy BenHeck.com