"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."
- Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch
Passion for what you are doing in life is one of the most important ingredients to finding success and happiness. As I was reviewing many definitions of passion, I came across an author on the subject, Curt Rosengren who defines passion as...
The energy that comes from bringing more of YOU into what you do.
I like this definition because of its simplicity. It doesn't state that we need to find the energy to build the next Taj Mahal or run for President of the United States. What is does state simply is that passion is all about energy.
Why is it important to discover or uncover where your passion lies? Well, quite simply, you will do your best work where energy flows and you will find the most happiness doing that type of work. Sounds like a pretty important concept to grasp for success in our short time on earth. So, how do you know if you have passion at work? Here are some insights I have gathered over the years.
- People tell you when you are passionate. There are many times when I am presenting and training and I don't see my energy level as high but my audiences do! So, let others reflect back to you what you are showing.
- You are slightlyor totally obsessed. This is a great indicator because you find yourself thinking day and night about the idea or topic. You seek out news articles or books to delve into the subject deeper and you can't seem to STOP thinking about it.
- It doesn't feel like work. Because your energy is flowing easily towards this subject, topic or activity, it doesn't feel like work but rather an extension of play.
- Time goes quickly. When you are in your passion zone, you will want time to slow down or you are unaware of how quickly it passes.
The next thought that usually occurs once you understand that everyone has a passion at home or work, is to find ways to get more of it. The following ideas are a way to get you started:
- Watch what gives you energy at work. In other words, what work do you seem to do right away? What work feels like play, or is so easy, you feel amazed that someone actually pays you to do it?
- Watch the work that gets complimented. Your co-workers are a tremendous help in uncovering your passions by praising you for the work you do well. Now there is a possibility that you are not passionate about work you do extremely well and that is why you need to look at your energy flow as well.
- Realign your work. This may seem impossible in today's economy but sometimes it is as simple as asking your boss. Is there a way to realign the work that you do so you are focusing on your area of passion 80% of the time? i believe that your area of passion can come from your strengths. According to Marcus Buckingham's work in his book Now, Discover Your Strengths, only 20% of employees working in the large organizations they surveyed felt their strengths are in play every day. And the longer an employee stays with an organization and the higher they climb the career ladder, the less likely they are playing into their strengths.
- Create the place. Start blogging about your passion so you learn and research more about it and gain a group of like-minded followers. If your current job doesn't provide the place for your passion, try to freelance or consult in the area to see if you really have what it takes to do it full time for a living.
Question for You:
Have you lost your zest for work? Do you find yourself dreading Monday morning because the thought of doing what you did last week saps your energy?
Action for You:
Begin paying attention at home and work to what gives you energy, what you seek to read and what others affirm in you. Find a way to incorporate more of this into your current job or find work that will allow you to spend 80% of your time in your passion which is where you will ultimately do your best work.
"One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested."
- E. M. Forster
