What are Your Interests?

What are your interests? By:?Ben Washburn

While determining what you are interested in, generally, people work, volunteer and get involved in areas they have an interest in or by spending their time doing what they like.

In my experiences, it can begin by something as simple as watching current events, keeping interest in a hobby or something (events, people, places and things) that makes one find and keep happiness, motivation, inspiration and contentment.

Once a beginning or start is initiated or discovered, a seed is planted, a hobby is realized and a passion begins to take shape.

It is during these moments in life where a higher purpose, passion or calling occurs that begins to drive the individual to pursue these passions with purpose and motivation through discovery and towards a goal with a prosperous outcome or result.

For business, these moments of discovering your interests can dictate and navigate a career path.?Over the course of years, relationships and rapport begin to build, grow, thrive and lead one forward to achieve goals and while practicing solid communication skills.

For some, this process may begin early in ones lifetime while for others, it could be a later stage discovery of interests and work.

Steve Jobs once make the point that you cannot connect your dots in life without looking back to determine how those dots or relationships connected you to a passion, purpose or interest.

I believe in a point of beginning and that while analyzing your interests and path that healthy behavior occurs when we connect, communicate and mentor with those in our professional career path.

This process becomes the fabric of your story and how well you communicate your story depends on two important factors.

1.)??Your audience

a)???The size (one on one mentorships & conversations to messaging to massive marketing campaigns

2.)??Why are you sharing or telling your story

a.????Your purpose and goals and interests

We all have individual experiences and impacts that other professionals have instilled on our values system, our ethics and our integrity as we navigate a vast business world making critical and valuable daily decisions.

Mostly everyone I have met, mentored or managed in my career has set out with one common denominator and simple task while interacting in business and that is to help others succeed while earning a profit.

When an individual and business provides goods and services, assists a client or lends a helping hand, two positive wins occur.

The services provider adds revenue to their top line, provides a solid customer service experience and receives a warm and fuzzy feeling of gratitude.?This individual or business provides that expert opinion, adds advice and is living out part of their dreams by working and providing actionable items in an industry they are interested in to their customers and clients.

The customers and clients win because they have received value.?A value-add has occurred in real time to them and they feel satisfied and happy with what they have received for consideration paid.?Even price can be forgotten long after a great customer experience is remembered.?

Your customer or potential client does research, gets trusted opinions, asks for referrals and ends up aligning with your interests at some point creating this common theme that ultimately connects you both to conduct business or a transaction.?

For personal, moments of discovering your interests usually can be found in a hobby or something you do that brings you extreme happiness, joy and contentment.?For some, personal and business blends together while getting compensated for a passion, hobby or enjoyable project.?

When we allow ourselves to separate the two be it personal or business, some find a better balance.?This can depend on your outlooks, attitudes, schedules, goals and personality among other factors to consider.?

Personal interests do help one manage your time wisely, help to avoid stress, being overworked and managing any burnout.?

These hobbies or passions can also turn into your personal volunteer time to help others and other organizations or non-profits needing help.

Get involved with your interests.?Better balance can occur when you spend your time serving your interests.?

If you do find yourself separating personal and business, it is usually because two sets of an individual mindset occur.

Your first is professional that ultimately allows for your personal hobbies or interests and this can work vice versa as well.

When a professional locates his or her interests, navigates their paths' people, mentors, acquaintances, connections, referrals and other professionals that have led them, I have learned that more gratification, more success and more overall happiness is the outcome with goals attained and achieved.

Change can be a common theme in today’s business environment.?Technological changes, personal changes, office changes and family changes can all happen so shift, pivot and make plans to accommodate your changes while keeping your interests top of mind.?

Your interests or newly discovered interests should remain a part of your story.

What you are interested in should become what you do in your personal and professional lives.

If you have lost interests, been through a transformational change experienced or are just looking for ways to shake it up a bit or even discover a new love for a new interest, here is a short list of action items to get you started.

1.)??Read at least 2 books on 2 different subjects

2.)??Watch or listen to current events, the news

3.)??Give up one hour of screen time per day

4.)??Buy a newspaper and read it

5.)??Join a neighborhood association and meet your neighbors

6.)??Volunteer a couple hours per month

7.)??Meet someone new or ask to get introduced

8.)??Download a newly recommended app

9.)??Play a board game or card game

10.)???????Add coffee and lunch meetings to discuss your interests and see where they lead you

Hopefully this article post peaked your interest and keeps you interested in your interests with so many changes over the last few years.

Ben Washburn, Founder & CEO of MMI.