HIGH ACHIEVERS
FRUITS OF PASSION!
Archana Law extols the virtues of being passionate about what you do
Imagine doing what makes you excited to go to work every day… And you become so absorbed in it that you lose track of time; where it isn’t merely work but a passion that you happened to be paid for?
But when we can’t figure out why we’re doing what we’re doing or how we ended up working in a job, a sense of drifting settles in – like we drifted along with the tide and eventually found ourselves here. Or perhaps we had a plan but a lack of follow-through and/or a few of life’s hard knocks changed it, and we merely went along feeling lost.
According to Dr. Myles Munroe in his book Understanding Your Potential, the richest place on Earth is not the bank but the graveyard!
It’s the place where one would find unfulfilled dreams and passions, uncreated inventions, unwritten books and songs, visions that never became a reality and potential that remained just that!
“People who hold leadership roles but lack the excitement, vision and energy to go with the job are likely to cause problems for everyone, especially themselves,” say Robert J. Lee and Sara N. King, formerly of the Center for Creative Leadership. Staying adrift frustrates you, and adversely impacts the energy and productivity of your co-workers and employees, which stifles innovation.
All great achievements begin with a passion that fuels everything you do and motivates you; and it is your unique lens on the world that shapes not only who you are but with whom you connect and what opportunities you pursue.
Most importantly, that same shared purpose is what brings your tribe together; the community of people like internal employees, external partners and customers who believe in your cause – and what you are seeking to build.
In his book Start With Why, Simon Sinek asserts: “People don’t just buy ‘what’ you do; they buy ‘why’ you do it.” If you don’t know your purpose, it’ll be difficult to find support and build a culture of passionate authenticity that excites others.
These suggestions can help reignite the passion in your life…
PLANNED LEADERSHIP We all lead in every area of our lives, either intentionally or by default. Energy expressed through our thoughts, emotions and actions can be catabolic and destructive, or anabolic and constructive, claims Bruce D. Schneider of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching.
Avoid catabolic energy that’s manifested through worry, fear, doubt, blame and anger. Instead, develop anabolic energy like responsibly seeking and creating opportunities that engage, enable and empower all.
RESET YOUR MINDSET Note all the highlights of your day and talk about the good things that are going on. Rather than sweeping bad moments under the carpet, replace them with positives that outshine any negativity.
RECHARGE YOURSELF It is crucial to take a break to reset your engagement levels. A few days off or a vacation, or something that feels good and diverts your mind, offers ample time to recharge. Studies show that even small breaks from mental tasks improve creativity and productivity.
SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS There’s always room for improvement, even for self-proclaimed experts. Take an inventory of all the skills you have acquired over time and set a goal to improve each one daily. This will provide you with something to which to look forward everyday while keeping your positivity and productivity flowing.
CONNECT DEEPER In addition to what you’re already doing to better understand how you are adding value, find out whether your actions are helping a co-worker, enhancing a relationship with a customer or improving the company’s bottom line. Focus on small achievements that lead to big results, highlight your contributions and leverage them to your advantage.
BUILD A VISION BOARD Pin up the top five goals you want to achieve during your lifetime – for travel, photos of the places you want to visit; for family, what you imagine it looking like; and for career, what you want to achieve. Neuroscience teaches us that the more you train your mind to understand who you want to become, the more your actions are a reflection of that future.
Senior Vice President at Walmart Shawn Baldwin says that “as leaders, we have the opportunity to bring people together to do something that is bigger than they are as individuals.” Organisational surveys consistently reveal that employees want to connect with the big picture, and engage in meaningful work and opportunities. If you align people to do what they are passionate about, they’ll figure out how to create value.
Facebook visionary Mark Zuckerberg leads purposefully and even encourages employees to work on projects they are passionate about – an incredible way to develop human competence and tap potential!
Place your hand over your heart… feel that? It’s called purpose. You are alive for a reason, so don’t forget it! What matters is what you can do right now to live a life about which you’re passionate.
What makes you happy is the brainchild of passion, which precedes and takes priority over motivation, productivity and success.
Passion dwells on both heart share and mind share. Heart share is more about passion which ignites liking and inspires one’s self, and mind share is the decision making point which determine our choices, decisions and obligations.
In a milieu where scarcity and complexity is raising its head in the world, the voice of mind share is louder than that of heart share. Economies are seemingly volatile with many fluctuations beyond what the theories indicate, and the practical means of survival for our daily bread and butter and the settlement of utility bills.
People cannot be static in terms of their skills and goals. Situations change, and demand for skills vary, calling for adaptability. Vision and imagination are acclaimed to be powerful ingredients when it comes to improving passion.
The power of visualisation helps to focus our thoughts, refresh ourselves to reform our capacity levels and outlook, transform negatives for positives and take charge of our energy levels, which in turn manoeuvres our actions and fuels the drive in us, with our unique intention to pursue and perform with that dedicated passion.
Most outcomes are not within our control and strength. More often what happens, or the option available, is to work for the job which a person gets. Then his or her career, life plans and goals will have to be changed, unless you foresee an exit that can lead to a favourable path. Getting that job you are passionate about and joining that employer of your choice may not be guaranteed even with commitment and apt follow up by the person concerned.
Unemployment and under-employment are on the rise in spite of what social and economic indicators and statistics reveal. In such an environment, there is a propensity that people may be demotivated in terms of career development, training, employer relationships and corporate cultural misfit.
As employees perform their duties merely for the sake of completing, mindfulness is very much lacking as this is not an effort that comes genuinely from within. The golden rule is that there can be blessings in disguise, and the career you did not planned for can be better than what you originally wanted.
Give your best effort and exemplify honesty. I am of the view that if you are prepared to work smartly towards finding what you are passionate about, many doors will open for you in time to come as a blessing for your hard work.
For some, passion is a gift or fortune waiting to be discovered. And some do not believe and have doubts, where passion is concerned. As Dr. Monroe wrote, ‘there are three categories of people, i.e. few who make things happen, majority who watch things happen and those who are clueless of what is happening.’ It is always advisable to be in the first category, because you are unlikely to be wrong in terms of passion.
For some, there has to be a turning point with creative destruction for their passion to kick start. Onlookers will blame them but that is only the way how people perceive the situation according to their beliefs. Initially a person might lose, fall and be looked upon, but when ge gets back up, he will be stronger.
A person who went through a crisis may bloom than someone who has had a smooth sail. There may be instances where a person knows his passion and innate talents, but putting those into practice requires an energetic force and an enhanced formula. In some instances, a person might discover his potential coincidentally and then set off on that path. Being aware of your passions can help you build competitive advantage.
Stand with confidence. What you consider as small can make you stand tall.
Passion is worth discovering even in a small way.