I grew up skateboarding; it was fun. I didn't think about money

Hear the voice of Jason Lee, who began his journey not with contracts or coins, but with the simple joy of a board beneath his feet: “I grew up skateboarding; it was fun. I didn’t think about money, I didn’t know how much professional skateboarders made. I just knew that if I became a professional skateboarder, I would achieve a lot and get to travel and do these great things.” In these words lies a teaching older than empires—that true greatness begins not in calculation, but in passion, and that the road to fulfillment is guided by joy, not greed.

At the heart of this saying is the innocence of pure intention. As a boy, Lee did not dream of riches or fame. He did not count the wages of others or compare his place in the world. He dreamed only of movement, of freedom, of the wild dance of wheels on pavement. His vision of becoming a professional skateboarder was not driven by the weight of material desire, but by the fire of love for the craft. Such purity of purpose has always been the seed of authentic achievement, for joy sustains the heart when hardships come, while greed withers at the first drought.

This truth is echoed in the lives of the ancients. Consider Leonardo da Vinci, who as a child sketched and tinkered not to seek fortune, but because curiosity consumed him. His notebooks overflowed with wonders, not contracts. Or think of Mozart, who as a boy played not for wealth but because the notes sang inside him and had to be released. Their achievements shook the world not because they sought riches, but because they pursued joy with relentless devotion. Jason Lee, in his own time, discovered the same eternal principle.

There is also in his words the promise of unexpected reward. He confesses he did not know how much skateboarders earned, yet he sensed that by following this path he would “achieve a lot and get to travel.” And indeed, life proved him right. The rewards of passion often extend beyond what the young can imagine: doors open, paths unfold, and opportunities arise for those who devote themselves fully. Though he began with only fun and freedom in his heart, Lee’s journey carried him not only into skateboarding’s heights, but into acting and storytelling—branches growing from the same root of fearless play.

Let us also see the heroic spirit in his reflection. Travel, to him, was not an escape but a gift of dedication. Through the simple act of skating, he imagined crossing borders, meeting new people, experiencing the wider world. This dream reveals a truth: that mastery of any craft, however humble, can be a vessel for reaching far places and living deeply. Just as the swordsman, the painter, or the sailor once traveled by their skill, so too did the skateboarder, a boy of the streets, envision the world opening to him through his art of balance and speed.

The story recalls the parable of Eric Liddell, the runner of the 1924 Olympics, who declared, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” He, too, did not begin for money or applause, but for joy in the act itself. From that joy came glory, and from that glory came inspiration that endures. Jason Lee’s boyhood dream belongs to this same tradition—that when one delights in one’s craft, destiny unfolds without calculation.

The lesson, then, is this: pursue what brings you alive, not what promises you gold. Do not let your first thoughts be of profit, but of passion. When you devote yourself to joy, discipline will follow, mastery will grow, and the rewards—though unknown at the beginning—will exceed what you first imagined. In practice, this means honoring the activities that make you lose track of time, that fill you with fire, that feel less like labor and more like breathing. Those are the seeds of your true path.

Thus, Jason Lee’s words, spoken in simplicity, echo with ancient power. He reminds us that fun, passion, and curiosity are not childish whims, but the very compass of destiny. To live by them is to walk the road of heroes, and to one day look back and see a life not of empty wealth, but of fullness, adventure, and joy.