Remember Your Passion

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."  Christian Friedrich Hebbel

Running a business can be a boring proposition. Filling orders, fielding phone calls and meeting deadlines are some of the mundane activities that often fill a business person’s day. Although the every day details can seem like drudgery, the fulfillment of ones work can however be very exciting.

Most small business owners are essentially middle managers. We are tasked with the daily work that makes a business grow. The ingredient that makes it worthwhile for many is ownership of their dream. The tedious work is a labor of love that allows us to accomplish something worthwhile. After all, it does not matter if you are an astronaut or a ditch digger, both can see the moon, one simply has a better perspective.

If the work we do is done simply to finish the task, although admirable, it may be less than satisfying. We must find the passion that drives us if we expect customers to believe we truly want to provide the product or service we are offering. That same passion can inspire us to create new products, new services or develop new ways to promote our businesses or better serve our customers. It has been said that passion should be tempered by reason. Perhaps the reverse is true.

"Passion is the genesis of genius." Tony Robbins

It is passion that allows us to work 12 hours days and even more. It is passion that dictates that we make things perfect not only for our customers but for our selves. Passion about ones work makes the difference between feeling worn out at the end of a long day or feeling that what we do matters. Without passion it doesn't matter what we do, we are just going through the motions.

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." Nelson Mandela

Every business owner has had that moment, whether recognized or not, when they make the decision to risk it all so they can be captain of their own ship. When a decision is made for the sake of an individual’s ego or pride that choice will likely lead to failure. When the decision is made due to a passion regarding a specific goal, success is more likely.

Remember your passion, what inner drive led you to where you are now? By rekindling the passion that helped you get started you may find new ways to succeed. If nothing else it should make your work more enjoyable.

"The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment." Earl Nightingale