Passion and success. I have been surrounded by it lately. I have been reading blogs and tweets and magazine articles full of people who are passionate about life. It is engaging and inspiring. It is life-changing. Some of these passionate people are also business people. Successful business people. I have had the pleasure of hanging out with people in business recently who are the definition of passionate and successful. And I have been lucky enough to have experienced the passion/success combo myself, to a degree.
So what's it all about? Do people who are naturally passionate create success in their businesses regardless? Surely it is not just enough to be passionate about something that you are able to turn it into a successful business? Does the same passion/success combination apply to life as well as to business?
The context that originally triggered my passion/success writing was an interview of Juliette Binoche. Through her schooling she struggled and came second to bottom in her class. She is quoted "What this success says is that, when you have a passion, everything is possible". Richard Branson and Coco Chanel are just two more examples where passion, not education, was the founding element of their success.
It appears that without passion, success is merely achievement and there is a difference! You can achieve many things but not necessarily be a success or be successful. Passion is what drives the top 10 achievers into the top 5. It is that element that makes you wake up earlier; it is what makes you work through to the small hours; passion is what makes you do things for free or go the extra mile; it drags you through the meetings with the accountant looking at all the red ink; passion is what gets you through the tough times. Without it, many lives and businesses are unsuccessful because they get stuck at the first sign of hardship. With passion, you are driven forward because you love what you do, there is no other option but to be successful.
In life and in business, being passionate forms the cornerstone for success. It is not the only element but it does, I believe, identify the person who is achieving without meaning from those who are happy and fulfilled. It is the difference between loving what you do and doing what you love. It is the difference between the good speaker and the inspiring speaker. You are attracted to them and what they do because they exude that extra something special- the energy and excitement passion brings. Passion is an asset to your life and your business, what ever you do- a designer, a blogger, a gardener. Find it in your life. Cherish it. Nurture it. Share it.
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