Courage, An Illustration

I read this piece by Ben Stein which my best friend thoughtfully passed on to me. It was a combination of a passion and an interest, called The Economics of Love. (Economics being the passion and love fundas being the interest) The piece was mildly amusing, with very little out of the ordinary.

What stood out, though, was the line on Ben Stein at the end of the piece.
Ben Stein is a lawyer, writer, actor and economist.

At 63, Stein has accomplished so much, from being a speech writer for Nixon and Ford to being an Emmy Award-winning actor. And what a combination at that! You find actors who venture (often unsuccessfully) into the music industry. You find lawyers who become speech writers. But the rarity of Stein's career-combination is what amazes me.

It is a mark of true courage. Let me explain. People often are pigeon-holed into certain categories, encompassing a group of interests. I like this and I don't like that, I can do this and I can't do that. And once you've been labelled the 'finance guy' or the 'marketing guy', it's so hard to break the mould. You get so good at what you do that you are afraid of trying anything new. Stein broke the mould. He ventured into the unfamiliar and to top it off, was successful!

I don't wish to close by advising everyone to muster up the courage to take that step outside their comfort zone. I have failed to do so on many occasions and so, do not have the right. Stein's just an example of what happens when you do.