PASSION AS A DRIVER TO SUCCESS

By Umeh Mathias

Passion is a key driver in achieving success because it creates purpose, and in turn, purpose creates focus. Focus lead to results and results are what will move you closer to the fulfilment of your goals. I have worked with countless executives and entrepreneurs and consistently find that those professionals who exhibits an undying passion for what they do stand apart from the crowd.  In today's article, I'll examine the benefits of finding that your passion and incorporating it into your life.

For many in the workforce, a job is not who they are, but simply what they do. These individuals passion tend to lie outside the workplace and for those persons who fit into this description, their job is nothing more but a means to an end. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this outlook on life, and in some respect, it is more healthy and simple way to live.

However if you have chosen to be an entrepreneur or a senior executive you'll find it much more difficult to bifurcate your career from the rest of you life. When you sign-up for a senior leadership role with high expectations and numerous responsibilities it is difficult (if not impossible) to just throw the switch into the off position and walk out the door at 5:00pm leaving your work behind. In fact, entrepreneurs and executives with this mentality are likely to be very frustrated individuals who don’t just live up to their own expectations or those of others.

If you are an entrepreneur or senior executive and you feel ambivalent, frustrated, unmotivated or trapped in your career it is likely because what you do is not in sync with who you are or the things that are truly important to you. For passion in the workplace to be anything more than a fleeting state of mind, you must align your personal goals and interests with what you do for a living. I'm not suggesting that you define who you are by what you do, rather I'm suggesting that if what you do is in balance with your priorities and interests you will be able to be passionate about what you do. I have always believed that for those entrepreneurs and executives who are passionate about what they do, their careers are nothing short of a marvelous adventure as opposed to the drudgery of a day-to-day grind.

Do you wake-up each morning and look forward to going to work or do you dread the start of each day wishing you could just stay at home? Why do you do what you do? Do you enjoy what you do or do you feel trapped by what you do? If you lack passion about what you do, I would strongly suggest that you go back to the drawing board and reassess your motivations.
That's the beginning of your journey to being a successful entrepreneur or executive. Although in our present economy, these may seem like an impossible adventure, but as long as you don't give up, you will get to your chosen destination.