Dare to be Passionate
By Judi Moreo
Passion is an integral part of achieving success. People with passion have a sense of purpose and meaning. They are achieving things. They don’t waste their time. If you feel strongly enough about something, you will put your effort and time toward it. You will be passionate and you will make your dreams come to life.
On a Mission for Happiness
Passion comes when we believe in something; when our purpose is clear. It’s the fuel that drives us to accomplish our goals and achieve real happiness. But how do we find it? Ask yourself a few questions. What gets you excited? What do you love? What do you feel strongly about in your life? What would you do even if you didn’t get paid? What are your special talents? How do you know when something is right? Have you tried to do something that you’ve never done before? What do you secretly wish you could do? How badly do you want to do it?
Listen to your heart to find what it is you want to do and what you feel passionate about. Then you can put your entire focus into it, rather than just getting up, getting dressed, going to work, and getting through the day. When you are excited about life, you’ll get up early, be on time, do your best, give more than is expected, and be happy doing it. If you don’t feel this, perhaps you need to make some changes.
Tough Decisions
If your job isn’t as satisfying as you would like, maybe you need a new job. Perhaps it won’t pay as much or won’t have the perks your current job has, but when you condition your mind, it will change the condition of your life. The money will come when you love what you do and have enthusiasm for it. If you are willing to accept a job you don’t like, one that creates stress but pays well, then you have to be willing to pay the price, and the price you pay is a lack of passion and joy. Many of us have been taught from childhood that it is selfish and self-centered to be happy in what we do. We’ve been taught we must work hard to get ahead. If we can learn to work passionately, we will go further than hard work will ever take us.
If you keep doing the same old thing in the same old way…only harder and longer, you are going to get the same old results, and you are going to hate it. Life treats you as you treat life. In order to be passionate about life, you may have to undergo a mind change. You may need to re-evaluate what’s really important to you. As you observe your life and the lives of others, you might see that living a life without passion is a costly compromise. It is much easier to live a life of passion than it is to live a stressful, unhealthy, unfulfilling, though well-paid existence.
When we have passion, our minds let go of blocks and barriers, because we are focused on what we wish to accomplish and the expectation of what good we can make happen. When we are passionate, we take great joy in our steps forward, both big and small, using what didn’t work as lessons learned, setting new goals, and moving onward and upward to achieve these new goals. In other words, when we are passionate, we just get on with it!
Judi Moreo is the author of the award winning book, “You Are More than Enough: Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion, and Power” and its companion, “Achievement Journal”. She is a motivational speaker, author, and coach. Judi can be reached at judi@judimoreo.com or (702) 896-2228.
The Main Ingredient
By Robert Wilson
From the Un-Comfort Zone
In 1907, during a major league baseball game, second base was stolen 13 times by the winning team. The catcher for the losing team, Branch Rickey, was unable to pick off even a single runner. That record stands to this day. It also spelled the end of Rickey’s career as a baseball player after just two short seasons. With nothing else to do, he went to college and law school.
Six years later, he returned to major league baseball. This time as a manager–and what a manager he turned out to be! He created the modern baseball farm system which enables major league teams to nurture and develop future stars through their minor league teams. He was the first to establish a permanent spring training facility in Florida. He changed the way statistical analysis is used in baseball by proving that on-base percentage is more important than batting average. Branch Rickey is best known, however, for breaking the color barrier by bringing African-American Jackie Robinson into the major leagues. It earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rickey offers this as his recipe for success: ‘Success is where preparation meets opportunity.’ A simple formula that reminds me of the old joke, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer: “Practice. Practice. Practice.” Obviously, you can’t take advantage of an opportunity if you don’t have the skills. It’s a good recipe for success, but it doesn’t reveal the secret main ingredient.
A funny old song from Frank Sinatra gets us little closer to the answer. Do you remember these lyrics from High Hopes?
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can’t
Move a rubber tree plant!
I love that song because a stanza later we learn the ant CAN: “Oops there goes another rubber tree plant.” Is having “high hopes” the secret ingredient? No, but it gets us closer to it. You see, the ant succeeds because he doesn’t know that he can fail. Think about some of the people you know who are successful. What is it that makes them big achievers? What traits do you associate with them? When I ask this question of my audiences, I frequently hear the following ingredients: courage, perseverance, enthusiasm, discipline, confidence, decisiveness, self-reliance, responsibility, focus, ambition and optimism. All of these are certainly traits of successful people, but which one is the overriding characteristic? Which one is the main ingredient?
None of the above!
That’s right–none! Yes, they are all important, but there is one ingredient that makes the cake, and that is simply your belief that you will succeed. It’s called self-efficacy. Your belief in your ability to achieve what you seek is the biggest part of actually getting there. The best part is that self-efficacy is a trait that can be acquired at any age.
We acquire a sense of self-efficacy in four ways. The first way is cumulative. With each success we achieve we add a new layer of confidence in ourselves. The second way is through observation. When we see someone similar to ourselves succeed, we realize that we can too. The third way is controlled by our attitude. A positive attitude enhances our belief in our abilities, whereas a negative one destroys it. The fourth way is from the encouragement of others who believe in our ability to succeed. This is where you, as an effective manager or parent, can help others to succeed. Tell them that you believe they can meet their goals and you will help them believe it too.
Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert”s programs, please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.
