Chase Your Passion

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. – Confucius

Many of you know what you love to do in life. Many of you are still searching for it. If you can monetize your passion, time will fly by. Another route to enjoying your career and life more is finding a silver lining in your daily routine that brings you joy and do more of that.

One of the quickest ways to improve your job is to take an active interest in other people, your customers, managers and colleagues. The move from interesting to interested is a profound step. It may take discipline at first in this selfish world where we're often just struggling to survive and keep up with information overload.

Winning is an addictive process. Being part of a team is really about finding a way to help your colleagues win. When incentive structures are put in place that reward the right behaviors a sense of purpose and unity is possible.

So what is work ethic? How can some seemingly work endlessly and maintain high intensity? Is it really just type-A innate capability or upbringing? I think it has a great deal to do with the ability to be present and in the moment – 'being fully there'. Mindfulness is key to enjoying the journey. If you're constantly thinking of the future or past it can stunt your growth; you'll be less effective in the present moment.

In analyzing what makes the most successful people tick, I would make a strong case for passion. Drive, ambition and inner fire all stem from a place of joy in the doing. Action based people are resilient. We have a high pain threshold, rejection tolerance and get back up after the twelfth round with a grin. As an entrepreneur, it quickly becomes clear that ideas are cheap; real success is in the details and it's all about execution.

I've met successful sales people who love people. I've met many attorneys that excelled in new business development because they simply loved to debate and endlessly negotiate or challenge conventional wisdom! It's going to take some growing pains but continuing to improvise until you're at last in a position of reinvention in your career where all the pieces fit into the puzzle of an organization, render you a cornerstone.

There are many ways you can increase your passion but one is a mantra of asking oneself: 'What truly makes me happy?' Curiosity and hunger to know, unlock an inner power. It's a huge piece of what makes great people likable: genuine caring, empathy and attention toward others.

I was inspired to write this post because I often see what we do as business people, be it marketing, sales or business development, as an art form. Life itself can be lived as a composer free-composing a symphony, as the impressionist casting the stars over Monet's garden.

The data driven approach has sucked much of the artfulness out of telling stories and all the technology has anesthetized our hearts from the warmth of true connection. Find something about your company, your product, your service, your story or your industry to become passionate about. Passion will open a doorway into knowing and from that pathway, expertise will develop rapidly. Like a sponge, you will take in knowledge as sure as the sun rises.

Whether you've been innately born with work ethic and drive, or a raw hand of cards has been dealt to you circumstantially, passion alone can illuminate your path. There is a path for everyone to do what they love. There is a higher self to aspire to that we find in beauty, art, music and love. Ultimately, our work is a vehicle to provide for the ones we love. Tying our material dreams and goals to deeper values of people, planet plus profit allows ourselves to be made whole.

Call me an idealist, but I do believe it's possible to operate with integrity at all times. It's possible to live one's life with integrity and a pure heart, as if everything we do is being broadcast in Time Square.

I was recently asked about the benefit of hiring aggressive sales people to dominate the industry? My reply was: "I rely on cunning rather than aggression." I would certainly rather be the fox in the fable but there are no sour grapes in this story. You can never have regrets because friction creates the pearl. Learn from your mistakes; move fast and break things. Inaction and timidity are the silent killers. Roar like a lion and hunt. Go boldly after your objectives and figure it out along the way. But be kind and tolerant with others – they're human too.

The best organizations are agile and ever evolving. Passionate people set the tone and the culture. They are the lightning rods igniting new industries, fostering innovation and making vision a reality. It only takes one person in a company to make a major vibration and change the entire business. If you're reading this, that's probably you.

What are you truly passionate about? Have you found it yet? Do you love what you do? Did you always? How do you find that inner light so that you can let it shine and touch others?

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Photo: Joe Bielawa