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Starting a business is not an easy task; it’s definitely not for everyone. The road to entrepreneurial success is paved in personal sacrifice, but the rewards make it all worthwhile. Before you can take your first step though, you need to have an idea. We’ve all heard the clichés “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” and “follow your passion” – but is that really good advice?

The video below, published by Entrepreneur, features Dirty Jobs star Mike Rowe and his experiences meeting with entrepreneurs across the country.

His takeaway: find an opportunity that makes sense for you. Following your passion can be a fool’s errand. This is especially the case if you are someone like me: I’m very passionate about eating pork-belly quesadillas, but even if I could find a way to monetize that, it would be very bad for me for an abundance of reasons, and I’d very quickly lose that passion.

Or more eloquently in Rowe’s own words:

"The people I've met on my journeys, by and large, didn't set out to realize their dream. They looked around for an opportunity. They identified the opportunity. They exploited the opportunity. They worked at the opportunity. Then they got good at the opportunity. Then they figured out how to love it." 

One could argue Rowe may be biased having worked on a show featuring jobs that most in society find less than desirable. Perhaps if he worked on a show called “Follow Your Dreams,” he’d have a different opinion.  Either way, his takes on seizing opportunity and bringing your passion with you regardless of what you do, really resonates.

What do you think? Are you following your passion or learning to be passionate about a great opportunity? Let us know on Twitter @FreedomVoice and on Facebook.