One of the biggest differences that I notice that separate people who are really truly happy from everyone else, is that those who radiate happiness are passionate about something in their lives. Recently I went on a site visit with some clients that I work with who are interested in putting a business together. They had done a few feasibility studies but couldn’t really decide which direction they wanted to head in. I had the chance to take them on a tour of a business that had some similar components to the kind of operation they were thinking of running. The group left the visit unable to decide the direction they wanted to head in.
They had three initial goals: be able to grow and sustain the organization, be able to hire people with disabilities, and be able to turn a profit. The one thing they lacked was passion. I very carefully chose the business that I took them to for the tour. The owner of that business has passion oozing from every cell of his body and his enthusiasm is highly contagious. When the group asked him what made his company so successful his response was: “That’s what I do.”
After listening to this gentleman for more than two hours the group walked away with this lesson: You have to have passion to be a success. You have to live, breathe, and feel your work. Without passion you are just going through the motions and you will not succeed, or your success will be short-lived. Find your passion before you invest your money, before you invest your efforts in developing a business plan, before you invest your time and energy into a business.
The group that I was working with left the tour with a few ideas. They went back to meet with their board of directors and they have narrowed down some choices that they are at least a little bit passionate about. With some more research, and site visits to various businesses hopefully they can find a business idea that they will truly be passionate about, and can implement with great success.
If you find that your happiness quotient is low and that you’re lacking a bit of passion in your life, here are some steps to get back on track:
1) Make note of what excites you. Carry a small notepad or notebook around for a week. When you are feeling happy, jot down what in particular is generating that feeling of happiness.
2) Take a trip to a book store. What section do you gravitate towards?
3) Spend some time in solitude. Let your mind wander a bit. Listen to your thoughts
4) If you could spend a whole entire week doing anything that you wanted, what would it be?
5) If you told someone else “That’s what I do!” what would it be in regard to?
Whether developing a business or not, we all need a certain level of happiness and passion in our lives. I am sure that on some level, we all know this but with all of the day-to-day activities in our lives we often forget this lesson.
A-S
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