As a marketing coach, I love working with people, who are passionate about their businesses. Passion is infectious. Passion is inspiring and motivating. Passion is power. You see, no matter how great your plans are, without the passion to see them through, they will simply remain plans. How sad would that be? What a waste – To have the ideas and make the plans, but to lack the passion to see them plans come to life.
Here’s what my mentor, Jim Rohn, used to say;
“We each have a decision to make. We can either pay the price for discipline or the price for regret. Discipline weighs ounces, but regret weighs tons!”
Business, goals and passion
When we are passionate about our plans, it’s easy for us to discipline ourselves to do what’s required, in order to achieve the results we want. The challenge is that most businesspeople develop plans that fail to motivate them. Their plans lack the power required, to give them the inspiration to leave their comfort zones. Their business plans don’t jump off the paper and motivate them to take action – so they remain plans.
The same is true of goal setting. People waste a fortune attending seminars and buying products to help them set and achieve goals; when the problem is usually that they simply need to set goals that inspire them and ignite their passion. The best goal-setting methodologies are worthless to us, if we use them to set goals that lack passion. It’s the passion, that motivates us to take action and make things happen.
Here’s what I have discovered: Your business plans and goals should be based around what YOU want to achieve. It’s hard to be passionate by proxy! Many people set the kind of business goals they think they SHOULD set, rather than the goals that truly get their passions going.
So, why not take a look at some of the plans you have made, which you have still not acted on. Ask yourself, honestly, if you are truly passionate about them. If not, there’s a good chance they are the wrong plans for you. If this is the case, replace them with something that really inspires you. You will be amazed at the results!
What part of your business are you most passionate about? What plans or goals are motivating you right now? Let us know!
Photo: Pink Moose
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Jim, I love this post. You hit the nail smack on the head. I would also add that passion helps get us through the challenges that come along the way as well.
.-= Ali Davies´s last blog ..Is working for yourself really the key to freedom? =-.
Good point Ali. In my experience, passion acts like a form of fuel – which we need in order to drive ourselves forward.
As you say, when there are challenges along the way, we need that extra boost.
Thanks for the comment!
Hi Jim
The thing that’s inspiring me most at the moment is developing more of a person to person rather coaching business. (As you know, in the past my consulting business was more about doing work for corporates.) …And doing this using social media as a big driver.
I don’t lack passion. But, as I’ve said to you before, I do lack a sense of how to channel it to achieve the goals I’ve set myself.
I think, as much as we need passion, we also need to know how to do the right things right. In my experience passion can be sensitive, and needs to see progress for it to continue to burn. But put these two things together and it can be explosive, right?
.-= Christine Livingston´s last blog ..How New Work Pioneers use redundancy, burn-out, breakdown and loss of meaning as catalysts for transformation =-.
You’re right Christine. As a wise man once told me;
“Motivate a fool and you simply end up with a motivated fool!”
The reason I emphasise the importance of planning so much (the word plan/s appears a dozen times in that short post) is that we need both the right plan and the motivation to put it into action.
Thanks for the comment Christine!
Oh come on Jim, how about writing something that I disagree with? All this soundly-based stuff leaves us nothing to have a good ‘ole heated discussion about. lol
Seriously though, you’re spot on regarding passion. Successful business (& therefore successful life) is about being passionate.
I’d like to make a distinction though. Many folk advise you to ‘follow your passion’ when thinking of a business. This can be dangerous advice and it’s not the same as being passionate.
I may have a passion for vegging out in front of the TV watching the soaps (I don’t!) but that wouldn’t make for a good business model – however, I AM passionate about living a wonderful life with my family. I AM passionate about running a successful business and helping as many folk I can with my products and services, and these passions are what spur me on.
Thanks for that Peter.
I think when the gurus tell people to develop a business by following their passion, what they mean is that they should work in areas that they are passionate about.
So, your example about sitting in front of the TV all day, might inspire someone to set up a commercial blog, where they critique or comment on TV. However, as you rightly say, they would STILL need to do more than just watch TV to make that a money generating business.
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This post really struck a chord with me. Just last night I gave a speech about the difference between motivation and inspiration. One of my main points was that a key component of finding and providing inspiration is being passionate.
The word itself is in danger of being over-used and therefore losing it’s power, which I feel would be a real shame. Passion is one of the essential ingredients that make inspiration infectious. Without passionate and inspired individuals and groups our world would be a very dull place indeed.
We all notice the difference when we deal with a client or supplier that is passionate about what they do and one who isn’t. I know who I’d rather deal with.
Ok, Jim so a bad marketing strategy would be like;
“a relationship without a passion,
will not survive very long will it!”
Ps. Focusing, Focused, Focus
Thank You Mr. J. Connolly
Norman Flecha
Straight Talk
.-= STRAIGHTALK´s last blog ..Effectuation: How Entrepreneurship Really Works by : Dave Troy: Fueled By Randomness =-.
Hi Norman. Absolutely. Passion is powerful.
Hi Jim,
I’ve discovered passion cannot be manufactured. While your business plans and goals should be based around what YOU want to achieve – it also needs to be wrapped around someting you absolutely love to do. This is not work – this is just plain living and loving life doing what you were made to do
I agree. as I said in the post, it has to be what YOU want – you can’t be passionate by proxy.
Thanks Mark!
Great point Jim. I have a friend that noticed I was no longer passionate about a business I once owned. He told me to get out. I took his advice and am so much happier for doing something I love.
.-= Tom Wanek´s last blog ..Say Goodbye to Burger King’s Parade of Hype (Let’s Hope) =-.
Seems like you made the right move Tom! Thanks for sharing that.
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Nice post, Jim. It’s true, with passion comes discipline… Great point.
Garrett
.-= Garrett Miller´s last blog ..Twitter – Autoresponder (Web) 2.0 =-.
Hey Jim,
Passion + decisiveness = money in the bank.
I’m passionate about what I do, but most passionate about finalizing the deal.
I was in a conversation today with a high profile business person who claimed to the gathered group of eager listeners: “I inspire leaders!” to which (smiling), I replied. “Cool! I invoice them!”
Just sayin.
Best of business,
Robin
.-= Robin Dickinson´s last blog ..Where the greatest opportunities are on-line =-.
Love that – A valid distinction Robin!
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