Find Your Passion, If You Want a Sustainable Business and Happy Life
“We should always have three friends in our lives — one who walks ahead, who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we’ve cleared the way.” ~ Michelle Obama
If you’re like other women in my community, you want to make the most of your life while making a difference in this world. So how will you know when you find your passion? The people you serve feel right, and the service you’re offering brings you lightness and joy, even if it’s hard work.
What’s my passion? To empower and inspire women so that they can inspire and empower others. So let me answer some questions so that you can find your passion, too…
“Where do I start to find my passion?”
Start from where you are! However, before you can serve and lead others, you must be very clear about what’s important to you, what you do, and what you stand for. People don’t respond to what’s in your head; people respond to what’s in your heart. This is true in the boardroom, in coaching, in the office and in sales. People act on emotion, then justify with reason.
“If you want people to be enthusiastic about what you do, you must find your passion and connect with their emotions.” – Maria Connolly
Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” I wholeheartedly believe that. That’s why I took the leap and changed the direction of my career to becoming a somatic coach. I believe we must connect with our whole self — body and mind — to ignite our personal power. (I’ve distilled what I’ve learned along the way into a downloadable PDF – 10 Steps to an Embodied Practice. I invite you to grab your copy of it.)
Your passion can emerge when you are crystal clear on your values and what you stand for and against. When you find your passion and bring it out into the light, people will be drawn to you. Then, most likely, the people who respond to you will be the ones that you want to work with.
Your passion keeps you energized, when the going gets rough. It fuels a positive can-do attitude that people find attractive. I love what Oprah Winfrey said about this, “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”
“What if you have to hold down a job, while you’re building a business around your passion?”
Even if your job or industry isn’t your passion, you don’t have to worry about being pigeon-holed in a “job” or “title.” Keep working with passion that sparks the highest version of self, no matter what you do, and you’ll be amazed at the new doors of opportunity that open up for you.
Don’t get me wrong…ambition is important. It’s a strong driving force. However, it’s so important to mindfully check in with yourself regularly to see that your ambition is driving you in the direction you really want to go…and that’s what a strong understanding of your passion will help you do.
Ambition often clashes with collaboration — because ambition tends to make you pursue what you want with less regard for what’s best for others. Ambition without passion is alienating and puts you in a lonely place. We are interdependent; we can’t make it on our own.
Passion is contagious. When you do what you love, your energy inspires and motivates others. You’ll be top of mind with them. So in conversation, when someone brings up a problem, they’ll think of you as the solution, and they’ll happily recommend you.
“When you find your passion won’t your personal life get more stressful and complicated, because of the shifts you’ll have to make?”
Not at all! The more you show up as you, the greater the connection becomes, the more they feel like they know and trust you. If you’re trying to hide your passion, your negative energy will eventually damage your relationships, and it’s so exhausting.
“When you find your passion, does that mean you can forget about the day-to-day grind of life or running a business?”
No! But when you tap into your passion in everything you do, your work is aligned with who you are and this makes the work so much more enjoyable. Work within your passion, so you do your best. This will cause you to be happy in doing whatever you’re doing. In turn, this will lead you to finding happiness in life.
The more you acknowledge and connect with your passion, the more opportunities will open up to combine that passion with your work and life.
It is often easier to see others than to see one’s self. Do you find it difficult to articulate your passion, your values, or your dreams? Why not take advantage of my offer of a free 30-minute consultation and see if we’re a good fit for working together.
Thank you for the photo Markus Spiske