Archives For passion

Beyond the Numbers

February 27, 2013 — 2 Comments

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I honestly think it is better to be a failure
at something you love than to be a
success at something you hate.
George Burns

Success. Every business, organization, and person has a definition of success. Though there might be some shared elements, most definitions are unique. What one person sees as success represents failure to another. What one organization celebrates, another ignores. Success is a common, yet elusive, concept.

Many people view success in terms of income. Yet, many wealthy people are extremely unhappy. The same is true for businesses and organizations. Success isn’t found only in the numbers; success is far more complex than that.

Bill Cosby said, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” This is true for individuals and organizations. When we try to please everyone, we lose our identity and become slaves to those we intend to serve. When this happens in an organization, the leaders will do whatever it takes to keep people happy. You and I do it when we vacate our passions in order to gain acceptance.

Numbers don’t paint an accurate picture. Numbers are easily manipulated to paint a false picture that provides satisfaction to individuals or organizational leaders. We can get caught up in the pursuit of the world’s definition of success. In doing so, we abandon our unique design. We arrive at a goal only to discover that it holds no real value.

Success is measured in terms of integrity, passion, honesty, and humility. We are successful when we choose truth, contribution, and concern for others. If you’re really the person or organization you claim to be, you won’t have to hype yourself. If you’re relying on hype to maintain the perception of success, you don’t understand what real success is.

Don’t be a success at something you hate because that success is fragile. Live to make a difference right here, right now.

I’ve been teaching Live Your Why for several weeks and the final session is this week. More than fifty people now understand how they are wired, their passions, and how to determine their opportunities. This group is poised to live with purpose and passion. Average in America is a bad goal. We weren’t created to be average; we were created to invest our lives in things that really matter. You can begin your journey now.

Don’t waste any more time. Stop counting and start living. Think about it.

What is your definition of success and how will you know when you’ve achieved it?

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Five Keys to Your Passion

February 18, 2013 — 1 Comment

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It is obvious that we can no more explain a
passion to a person who has never experienced
it than we can explain light to the blind. | T. S. Eliot

The dictionary defines passion as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling. When it comes to discovering your purpose in life, it is much more than that. In Live Your Why, WHY stands for how you are wired, your heart, and your opportunities. How you are wired–your personality–doesn’t change much. Your heart–passions–do change over time. That’s why it’s important to identify a quick process that helps us identify our passions.

Here’s a process to bring your passions into focus.

  1. If money weren’t an issue, how would you spend your time? Give some thought to your response because it reveals what’s at the core of your passion. List at least three possibilities.
  2. Using the three possibilities above, which one would you do if success were guaranteed? Arrange the possibilities in order with the one you’d be more likely to do at the top of the list.
  3. Based on the prioritized list above, what makes each activity appealing to you? Identify one or two characteristics of each activity.
  4. Take a look at the characteristics you identified in step three. Do you see any duplication or similarities? If so, list them. If not, proceed to the next question.
  5. Arrange the characteristics in order with the most common characteristics at the top and the least common at the bottom. Now, rearrange the list with the characteristics that are most appealing to you at the top of the list.

Take a look at the list of characteristics you developed. It is likely that the most common characteristics and the most preferred characteristics are the same. This is a huge clue to your current passion in life. Use it to guide your thinking about the future and your discovery of your opportunities. Revisit the passion discovery process as often as you want. The more you use it, the better equipped you’ll be to discover your passion.

If you are living a life that squelches your passion, you aren’t really living. Think about it.

What are your top passions? How do you plan to incorporate them into your life?

Are you intrigued by the idea that you can live a life that matters by discovering your why or purpose? Why wait? You can order a copy of Live Your Why and begin the journey on your own or you can enroll in the Live Your Why Online Seminar and have an experience similar to the live seminar.

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Passion Matters

February 6, 2013 — Leave a comment

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The dictionary defines passion as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling. It is one of the predictors of success and one aspect of a successful endeavor. When it comes to your why, passion is synonymous with heart (the H in WHY).

Unfortunately, many people can’t really identify their passion. Yet, the authors of The Passion Test suggest that passions are “the loves of your life. They are the things that are most deeply important to you. These are the things that, when you’re doing them or talking about them, light you up.” So, everyone is passionate about something.

Unlike personality, passions change over time. What you are passionate about today might not make the list five years from now. Today’s passions are significant because they lead you to your opportunities (the Y in WHY). Opportunities almost always are connected to passion. You probably won’t pursue an opportunity you aren’t passionate about.

That’s why passion matters. It points you to your opportunities. It helps you identify specific situations in which you can live your why. Passion turns future dreams in to present realities.

So, how can you know your passion. In my book, Live Your Why, I encourage people to respond to the following questions:

  • If money weren’t an issue, how would you spend your time?
  • What do others say you do well?
  • What do you think you do well? What do you enjoy doing?
  • When you are at a bookstore, what magazines and books grab your attention?
  • What “big dreams” have you been carrying around most of your life?
  • For what do you want to be known?

Once you understand how to determine your passions, you’ll be better prepared to pursue future passions. But, beware of the enemies of passion–fear, insecurity, and comfort. These emotions have the capacity to derail your pursuit of your purpose in life. You have one or more passions that point to your purpose. Think about it!

What are you passionate about? What opportunities do you have to express that passion?

 

 

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