Adam Braun asked a small boy begging in the streets of India “What do you want most in the world?” and his reply was “a pencil”. After reading this, I was hooked on the book “Promise for a Pencil”. The extraordinary book details how Adam Braun founded the non-profit organisation Pencils of Promise, which builds schools for children in third world countries. As I made my way through the book, I was surprised to read that Adam, a 20 something, well to do New Yorker, knocked back working at hedge funds and on Wall Street (all of which were offering six, even seven figure salaries) to pursue his dream of creating a non-profit (or for purpose) organisation.

Upon further reflection, I realised that whilst Adam’s decision to turn down large sums of money seems ridiculous to some, he believed strongly in his dream to build the non-profit company. It was refreshing to read about someone who was so passionate about creating something bigger then himself, that even promises of great salaries and bonuses could not persuade him. This particular part of the book reminded me of the Confucius’s quote “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”.

So is there anything that we can take from Adam’s story that we can apply to our everyday lives and our career?

Adam was, and presumably still is extremely passionate about his organisation. Having passion for what you do and believing in your job can not only give you personal satisfaction but your productivity will be increased. To be successful in anything you do, particularly your work, you must be passionate. If there is nothing that you are truly passionate about in your position, try and think of tasks that you enjoy, or seek out positions that you will gain satisfaction from.

A little elbow grease never hurt anybody. Hard work combined with passion is a recipe for success. Adam describes how he spent countless hours at meetings promoting the Pencils of Promise cause and mission. If you believe in something or love your job, you will use maximum effort to see it succeed and naturally work hard to obtain that goal.

Persistence is key. There will always be times when you get knocked back, whether it is for promotions or jobs. But do not give up. Always ask for feedback and treat it as a learning experience. Some learning curves may be steeper than others but you will come out on top. If there was anything that I took from “Promise for a Pencil”, it is that getting told “no” should make you more motivated to achieve your goals, and that even the impossible is achievable.

Passion, persistence and hard work are just some of the things that got Pencils of Promise off the ground. So just remember that if you are passionate, work hard and persist in your career, then you may not work a day in your life.

Written by Natassja Ford