I have a personal motto that “Life is too short not to love what you are doing”. Unfortunately, many professionals have not yet discovered their true passions and purpose, let alone aligning their business, career or life choices to these.
Let’s take a closer look at PROFESSIONAL PASSION – It is not only the fuel that gets us out of bed in the morning, but it is also an essential differentiator in determining our probability to succeed in the long-run! Passion energizes us, makes us creative and keeps us motivated, even when things are tough. It sustains us on our journey towards our professional dreams and goals…
Here is my take on three top characteristics of professional passion:
1. It is a powerful energy source. Passion is the fuel that gets us fired-up. I know we cannot always have everything in our professional lives, but if you are not pretty passionate about WHAT you are doing, WHO you are working with, WHEN, WHERE and HOW you are doing it, chances are that you will feel pretty exhausted soon – even burnt-out!
Make professional decisions to get closer alignment with your professional passion – it will fill you up with the right emotional fuel!
2. It is a critical differentiator. Regardless if you are an executive, an employee in the workplace, or an entrepreneur in business, passion is a key differentiator. Let me give you an example: Compare two individuals in the workplace – they have more or less similar talents, experience and skills. One ABSOLUTELY loves what he or she is doing, the other likes it, but not as much as the latter.… Guess who is more likely to succeed or get the promotion?
Yes, passion connects you with your vision and will help you to maintain focus when it is needed! It will keep you going when others are giving up.
3. It is contagious. Another amazing characteristic of passion is that it rubs off. If you hang out with passionate people, you will be touched and inspired by the energy they radiate. If YOU are passionate, you can transfer your energy to others, impacting their lives in a positive way.
Choose your friends wisely and stay connected with passionate and positive people!
Here is my business challenge to you today:
Take a reality check: If you are fired-up about your business or career, GREAT – keep the positive energy flowing.
If not, think about the WHY, WHAT, HOW, WHO, WHERE and WHEN of your business or career. What is it that needs to change? What action do you need to take? What can you do, starting today?
If you are stuck, get in contact with a mentor or professional that can help you to:
- Dream big and define the goals
- Take the first steps – you do not always have to know the HOW TO, before your decide to commit to a professional dream
You are ultimately responsible for creating the life and career you want! Get out and restore your professional passion.
About the Author: Gina Mostert is a business success strategist and coach who works with executives, entrepreneurs, business owners and independent professionals to plan for success, get more organised and take decisive action to get results.
By creatively combining the best of consulting, coaching and mentoring, she helps clients to define exactly WHAT they want to be, have or do in business and HOW they intend to get there. She is the developer of the 8 Essentials for Business Breakthroughs Program for Small Businesses.
