Got Passion?

Purpose and passion are two things that I talk about and help folks discover and define often. In fact, that is the foundation for my coaching groups. Why?

Because it has EVERYthing to do with everything in my opinion!

We spend so much time working, creating our business, doing business, trying to figure out how to get more business, etc, yet at the end of the day all too often we feel like an exhausted hamster running the wheel!

Whether it’s because we built our business simply based on “I’m good at that” or based on “this will make money”, the end result is that we are often unfulfilled. I learned the hard way that a full bank account and fulfillment are very different things. Financial success all by itself just isn’t enough.

We get discouraged, burned out, and frustrated. It doesn’t have to be that way!

We tend to think work has to be hard, and we are supposed to ‘have fun’ when we are ‘off’. In fact, when I decided to ditch my career to pursue my passion two years ago, my (then) best friend said:

“This is NOT the time! There are plenty of people who go to work everyday at a job they hate and then go home at 5 to be happy! There will be plenty of time to live your dream later!”

How sad is that?

Sadly, she was right!

So, what do you do about it?

1. Get clear on what you feel your purpose is on this planet.

2. Think about how ‘what you do’ serves that purpose (write it down).

3. Make a list of the things that you LOVE to do! Not just hobbies, etc., but the things that make you feel good. What makes you feel alive? Are you a problem solver? creative? Think of those little things and write them down.

4. Incorporate more of that you love to do in “what you do”

5. Start your day with something that you love to do! It will give you energy for the things that you don’t!

6. Change the way that you think! Gratitude is more powerful than most people realize! Just shifting from “I have to do a client proposal” to “I get to do a client proposal” makes a tremendous difference!! Try it!

“We can’t just sit around doing what we love. We have to work”

Sound familiar?

Actually that isn’t entirely true. Changing the way we think about those things that we don’t love to do, can change whether it feels like work! Changing the way we view our work, really does make a BIG difference!

Also changing how and when we DO our ‘work’ makes a big difference!

I often quote Zig Ziglar in saying “If you’ve gotta eat a frog, you don’t want to look at that sucker for very long. He ain’t gonna get any prettier!”

In other words, go ahead and do what you are dreading first!

However! I also say start out your day doing something that makes you feel good!

So, start out your day reading, enjoying your favorite coffee on the deck, watching a funny video, listening to your favorite tune, or whatever.

Then, hit those “frogs’ (before you dive into the rest of your day), and then do something that makes you feel good!

Think of it like a sandwich! It’s a whole lot easier to eat a piece of lettuce when it’s sandwiched in with stuff you like, right?

Remember, doing what you love isn’t lazy, or narcissistic, or irresponsible or any of those ‘bad words’. It simply means that you are aware of what fuels you, and you are smart enough to know that you need fuel right?

So if you love talking on the phone, or problem solving, or organizing, find ways to do more of that in your business. Then look at the things that you are telling your self that you don’t love, and ask yourself if there is a better way to think about them.

For example, instead of thinking “I’m creating a marketing plan”, I think “I am helping someone live their dream! Helping them to share their purpose, passions and talents with the world!”

Instead of thinking “I have to pay bills!” choose to think “Yippeee! I have the money to pay bills!”

Life is meant to be LIVED and LOVED and enjoyed! You were given your passions and talents for a reason! Discover them, and discover a life beyond success. Discover a life of fulfillment and significance!

What are your passions?