(Photograph by Corwin/Abella Productions.)

I have read that when Picasso grew old, he expended supreme physical effort to get his body, crippled with arthritis, out of bed in the morning. Yet, when he sat at his easel to paint, his passion for his art enabled his feeble hands to move with the dexterity of a 25-year-old. His lifelong enthusiasm for his work empowered his body to transcend his infirmities.

In July, cyclist Lance Armstrong won his record-breaking sixth straight Tour de France. Afterward, he was asked the secret of his success. His reply was uncomplicated: no secret, only hard work. What had he been doing last Christmas and New Year’s Day? Riding his bike, with tireless devotion to the one zealous focus of his life: to be the best cyclist in the entire world.

...If you find something you love to do, you will never work a day in your life.

As I entered junior high school, I realized two important things. The first was that I had been fortunate to be able to travel a great deal during my summer months, accompanying my mother on business trips to Europe. Each time I visited a foreign country, I assumed everything would be different: not just the houses, the cars and the cuisine, but also the people. What I learned was that while the houses, cars and cuisine were different, the people were much like me. I shared things with many of the people I met—from my hobbies and the books I read to the foods I liked. I also saw American companies doing business in these countries. These establishments seemed familiar and comfortable to me, and the quality of the service and products were comparable. In my 13-year-old mind, this was a revelation. “If I could run one of these companies, just imagine the influence I could have,” I thought. “This could be a way to unite people and provide a valuable product or service.” But how would I prepare myself for an undertaking like this?

My second realization was that maybe I had the makings of such a leader. When I was 10, I went to space camp in Florida with my dad. I was very excited and eagerly looked forward to going. The camp was everything I anticipated. I was urged to overcome many personal fears and apprehensions in completing the various physical training exercises, and I think the instructors were impressed with my focus and determination. During the closing ceremonies, one student was awarded the Right Stuff Medal for leadership and overall performance. There was a lot of suspense during the ceremony leading up to the announcement of the winner, with all the drama of the Academy Awards—at least for a 10-year-old. Well, I won the medal. Recalling those days at camp, I wondered, “Maybe I can be a leader.”

So, at 14, I decided to ask the experts about how to become a good leader. I wrote to approximately 180 CEOs to ask for their advice. I was surprised at not only the number of responses I received, but also the advice they dispensed. Interestingly, they all pointed to one important strategy: Find something you love to do, and the rest will take care of itself.

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Raymond Gilmartin of Merck told me that he could “never take a job because of the paycheck”; he had to do work with real meaning. And if you find something that you love to do, you will never work a day in your life. Nearly every one of the CEOs who responded to my letters affirmed this common piece of wisdom. However, knowing this to be true and practicing it are two very different things. The skyscraper of a successful career (and life) often begins with a foundation of pure, blind passion. Bob McKnight of Quiksilver, which makes beach-inspired clothing and accessories, said he started his company on a dream. He just wanted to work near the beach, where he could surf with his friends.

I think the CEOs who wrote to me are no different than anyone else—except that they are connected to their passion. There is a surf shop near my home run by a man who has become a neighborhood treasure. He knows everything about surfing, but never tries to hustle his customers or hurry them out of his store. He probably makes a fair living, but, more importantly, he owns the spark. Money cannot buy the spark, nor can we will ourselves into having it.

Not too long ago, my sister, Jillian, desperately wanted a dog of her own. After numerous requests, she finally cleared my parents’ permission hurdle, only to make several flawed adoptions. One puppy was so sick that our vet offered to go to the breeder himself to reclaim her money and secure care for the puppy. When Jill finally found an excellent Chihuahua breeder and got the perfect puppy, I could see that the breeder was great because she had passion. Each puppy was special, and she carefully chose each new home. Now this breeder is getting calls for her puppies from all over the world. While she may not be rich, she is wealthy in ways many others will never be. Pat Croce, former president of the Philadelphia 76ers and a man who can get enthused about taking out the trash, described this when he wrote to me, “We make a living by what we get paid; we make a life by what we give.”

Right now, I am passionate about life and where I want my life to go. This is where we all start. Unfortunately, this is where too few of us end up when we become adults. Jacques Nasser, former president and CEO of Ford Motor, seems to have ended up this way. He wrote, “I believe the people who are most successful are those who do what really interests them. There is no substitute for energy and enthusiasm.”

So what happens to so many of us? How do we lose our way? Who or what diverts us from following our passion, and leads us into going through the motions? Somewhere along the line, we lose sight of our true desires, compromise our interests and settle for less than what we originally hoped. We grow up. Here, then, is the question: Can a person grow up and not lose his sense of wonder and empowerment? I hope I can.