You may not know who Ralph Gilles is, but you know his work. He was responsible for the styling of 2005 Chrysler 300. For someone who just graduated college in 2002 to design a car that transformed automotive style, and reinvigorated a brand is quite an achievement. It is also what can be done when you turn your passion into your career.
Ralph Gilles
Figure Out What You Love to Do
Ralph Gilles was born to Haitian immigrants in New York in 1970. His father wanted him to be an engineer, but Ralph had a fascination with car design. He would sit and draw cars all the time. However, he wanted to make his father proud so he went to school to become an engineer. That line of work didn’t move him, and he ended up dropping out of college.
There is a lesson to be learned with that. Your path to success is yours and yours alone. You will not excel at doing something you are not interested in. You need to turn your passion into your career to truly excel at it.
Figure Out How To Make Money Doing It
Depressed because he disappointed his father, Ralph Gilles was living at home in his parents basement when his brother came home from college and talked him into going to school to be an automotive designer. He knew that Ralph’s passion was in automotive design, and he knew that to make money at it, Ralph would need to go back to college.
Ralph Gilles did just that, he attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, and in 2002 received an Executive MBA from Michigan State University. 3 years later, he changed the automotive design industry.
Do It Better
To put it simply, when you turn your passion into your career, you will love what you do. And when you love what you do, you can do it better. Ralph Gilles didn’t stop with the 2005 Chrysler 300. In 2008, he became the Senior Vice President of design for Chrysler. In 2009, he became the President and CEO of Dodge. In 2011, he became the president and CEO of the SRT (Street and Racing Technology) Brand, and in 2015, he became the head of design for the global Fiat Chrysler (which includes Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and many more.)
Ralph Gilles figured out that if you turn your passion into your career, and you give it everything you have to be an innovator, to be the best, and to change the world, you can succeed.
Remember that there is nothing you can’t accomplish if you love it, and work hard for it. People may try to block you, but those are just obstacles to be overcome. The three keys to success are figuring out what you love to do, what moves you, what drives you. Figuring out how to make money doing it, and getting that necessary training, schooling, or apprenticeship that will give you the skills you need to not only do it, but do it better then anyone else. Don’t go after the dollar if you aren’t moved by the way to get it. That is a recipe for mediocrity. To excel, turn your passion into your career.