Are you passionate about your business? People can sense when your passion is driving you. They can also sense when desperation is driving you.
For years my only real goal when working was to make sure I had enough money to pay the bills, vacation when I wanted to and to retire. I had no passion for my work and that realization was a big reason I left the corporate environment to start my business. It was not enough just to make money, I wanted to do something that made me feel good, that tapped into my soul.
I found my passion as a business coach and consultant and it is what people sense about me as soon as we meet. They often comment that they know that I truly enjoy what I do every day.
How does your passion, or lack of passion, impact you as a businessperson? It certainly makes it easier to work on the weekends when you love what you are doing. Those hours pass much more quickly when you want to help your client. Think about how quickly time passes when you are sailing, or riding your horse or playing golf. The same thing can happen when you love your work. This happens when I am coaching a client, our 50-minute session flies by.
Doing something you love impacts your attitude. You have a much better outlook at the office and at home. Everyone who interacts with you will feel that attitude. You inspire people with your sunny outlook.
You are more likely to identify and take advantage of opportunities. Opportunities (people you want to partner with, huge clients, perfect employees) are more likely to come to you when you feel positive and joyful about what you do every day.
If you do not love your work like you used to ask yourself why. It could be as simple as needing a break. We ALL need a break. There is not a single person that does not benefit from some time away from the office. A few days can restore your love for your career.
Spend some time in service. Feed the hungry, volunteer at the United Way or your church. Within a very short amount of time, you will gain a whole new perspective on your life and your work.
Still not feeling the love? Try helping someone who is just starting out in the business. They have a perspective you may have forgotten. Their love of their career may reignite your passion.
Integrating Your Passion Into Your Business
No one is a one dimensional person. Yet many of us compartmentalize our lives and work hard to make sure our lives and our work lives never cross. While this is the standard operating method adopted by corporations around the world, allowing some crossover between your work and your life may actually be the best thing you do for your business. Specifically, integrating things you are passionate about provides several benefits for you and your business including:
– Makes you look real to your target market: By talking about your love of dogs, coffee, or knitting you become more real to the people you are networking with online. Instead of just being a brand who is sells a product or service, you become a person with other interests that you may share with the people in your target market.
– Attracts like-minded individuals to you: Talking about your passions will attract like-minded people to you who may become clients or even business partners. Sharing the things you love provides a common ground for conversation and an excuse to connect to others in an informal way that can net better results than just sending out marketing material.
– Adds additional meaning and purpose to your work: Incorporating the things you are passionate about into your business can provide inspiration and motivation to continuously work on your business. This is particularly true if you are directly supporting a cause or trying to contribute to positive change in the world.
– Adds dimension to your brand: Your passion can be something that uniquely identifies you to your target audience and make you more memorable. If you have a love of zebras and you talk about them constantly, every time someone who knows you see zebra stripes they will probably think of you. It’s a great way to develop sticking power in your audience’s minds.
– Gives you something to talk about during slow news days: Let’s faces it. There are days when there is nothing to talk about in your industry. Your passion can inspire well as serve as a nice, refreshing break from the usual.
How to Incorporate Your Passion into Your Business
– Talk about it: The easiest way to connect your passion to your business is to talk about it. Tell your audience about your outside interests and why you are so passionate about them. You may find that some in your audience has the same interests which can lead to a deeper connection between you and them.
– Support a charity or organization: Publicly supporting an organization connected to your passion can raise awareness about that organization as well as connect you to other people who care about the same thing. The PR boost you get for supporting the charity or organization doesn’t hurt either.
– Use examples of your passion in your writing when appropriate: Sometimes your passion can provide excellent examples that assist you in illustrating a point in your writing. For example, there is a blogger who is passionate about coaching and frequently uses coaching metaphors in his writing to help his readers understand what he is trying to say.
Warning: Some People May Criticize Your Business
One thing to be careful of when integrating your passion into your business is that you may open yourself up to criticism from people who do not support your interest. This is particularly true when it comes to hot button topics like politics and religion. Be aware that you may get some vocal opponents of your passions and make sure you have a plan in place to deal with people who confront or criticize you.
Integrating your passion into your business is a wonderful way to increase the value of your brand, make yourself stand out from the crowd, and create a business that you truly love.
