Investing Passion at Work

An excellent quote came across my Twitter feed today from Michael Hyatt:

“Passion is the x-factor that takes something good and makes it great.”

What strikes me immediately is this quote puts into words what I have personally experienced with investing passion into a project or event. Call it passion, enthusiasm, zeal, motivation, or whatever best describes what gets you “jazzed” about what you are doing and that's your x-factor.

The investment of passion multiplies upon itself and is contagious. Your direct enthusiasm expressed will be picked up by others and the zeal for the moment or cause will be carried on in a ripple effect, motivating others you never met.

I was once slotted to speak at a training conference directly after lunch, but not just any lunch: this was an outstanding Italian themed cuisine with heavy pastas and rich sauces. Considering the training topics of the conference, inventory management was easily the least interesting of the lot and I viewed the session being slated following a very filling lunch as a challenge… a challenge I accepted energetically.

My speaking style is already intense in comparison to some. I am animated, expressive, and I cannot stand still (I view a podium as an anchor). So, with the above challenge, I cranked it up a notch, kicked my improvisational attributes in gear, and prepared to hit this relatively academic subject with what Michael Hyatt quoted as an x-factor:

Passion.

I may give the impression of boasting when I say not one person nodded off, but I mention it not to boast about my skills but more so to emphasize the key ingredient to the success: the passion. One participant shared he never thought inventory could be interesting until he attended that session and that he was looking forward to sharing the concepts with his team when he returned to work. I spoke with one of his employees two months later and was sincerely surprised to find the same motivation had caught on, and the employee used two of the improvised catch phrases from the training session.

Some passion in our lives is natural, however I believe if we are more aware of our natural passion on any one subject or event and invest our energies in this vein, even someone as simple as I am (and I am a relatively simple guy) can take something good and make it great.

Passion.

What are you passionate about? What is your passion?

• Glenn Sasscer; Admin Resource and Services