Many people talk about the importance of passion, but what exactly is it? And why is passion so critical for entrepreneurs?
When I talk about finding your passion, what I’m really getting at is finding that emotional connection that will sustain and fuel your efforts through good times and bad.
You should think of passion as the precursor to the persistence and grit that you need to increase your odds of success.
In today’s blog, I’ll discuss what passion really is, why it’s so important for entrepreneurs, and I’ll share an exercise to help you start the work of identifying what you’re genuinely passionate about.
Do you already know your passion? Great! See if today’s discussion confirms your passion(s).
Let’s dive in!
NOTE: I believe that a single person, driven by their passion and Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP), can change the world. Developing your MTP is a key focus of my year-round Mastermind and Executive Program Abundance360.
WHAT EXACTLY IS PASSION? AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR ENTREPRENEURS?
The truth is, making a dent in the universe or solving the world’s biggest problems requires a TON of hard work.
It also involves countless risks, setbacks, and restarts.
To get through all these challenges you need emotional energy that keeps you going forward. This allows you to get up when you get knocked down—like a prize fighter in the ring.
Many of my own victories have been “overnight successes, after 11 years of hard work.”
While some entrepreneurs appear to be lucky in how fast they create a Unicorn, most journeys involve failure after failure, pivot after pivot, on the road to success.
Those long and winding roads are only fueled by passion.
Passion also has an added bonus for entrepreneurs: people love passionate individuals… they love to contribute to, or invest in, projects that are fueled by passion.
A PASSION IS FUELED BY EMOTIONAL ENERGY
A passion that can serve you through good times and bad is one that is fueled by emotional energy. What do I mean by this?
Fueled by Positive Emotions (wonder, excitement, desire)… the AWE of the unknown universe, or the childlike desire to explore the cosmos (this was true for me).
Fueled by Negative Emotions, the desire to “right a wrong” in the world… passion driven by pain or anger, a desire to address an injustice in the world.
A passion to merely make “a lot of money” without a powerful WHY rarely succeeds.
Remember, starting a company to do anything Big and Bold is hard.
And if you’re not totally in love with what you’re doing, you’ll give up before you succeed.
SO, WHAT’S YOUR PASSION?
It’s OK if you don’t know what it is yet.
But my advice is that you work on figuring out your passion as soon as possible.
Below is an exercise to help.
You’re going to create two lists:
1. Those Positive Emotional Drivers that excite you
2. Those Negative Emotional Drivers that spur you on
List #1: Your Positive Emotional Drivers
Positive emotions make you feel great. They light you up. They give you energy! I’m speaking about emotions like AWE, WONDER, AMAZEMENT, JOY, and EXCITEMENT!
Here’s your task: Please make a list of 3 areas that give you energy when you think about them, topics that fill you with positive emotional energy.
For me, for most of my early life, it was all about “Opening the space frontier.” Lately, over the past decade, it’s been about “Reinventing healthcare and adding 30 healthy years onto our health span!”
What are yours? What capabilities do you want to create for humanity?
1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________
(Note: If you have more than 3, great!)
List #2: Your Negative Emotional Drivers
The world is filled with injustices, with big problems that need to be solved, and CAN be solved if the right entrepreneur puts their mind to the task.
What problem(s) do you want to slay?
In this exercise, I’m going to ask you to explore those negative emotions that can sometimes fuel us to do great things, emotions like: FRUSTRATION, ANGER, and RAGE!
Make a list of 3 big challenges or problems of injustice that “piss you off!” Things that if you make a dent in them would be an incredibly valuable legacy for you.
1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________
(Note: If you have more than 3, great!)
FINAL THOUGHTS
When you do something you’re passionate about, you will work harder than ever and outshine everyone else.
And passion has two complements: creativity and grit (the absolute commitment to making something happen).
With a mix of passion, creativity, and grit you can accomplish almost anything you want.
Today, a passionate and committed individual has access to the tech, minds, and capital required to take on any challenge.
Even better, that individual has good reason to take on such challenges.
As I’ve written, the world’s biggest problems are the world’s biggest business opportunities.
For exponential entrepreneurs, finding a juicy challenge is also a meaningful road to wealth.
What are you waiting for?
JOIN MY ABUNDANCE360 COMMUNITY
Would you like to help developing your passion and MTP so that you can transform your business and your life?
Then consider joining my year-round Abundance360 Mastermind and Executive program and participate in our A360 Summit April 20-22, 2022.
My mission is to help A360 members obtain mastery in four specific mindsets: an Abundance Mindset; an Exponential Mindset; a Longevity Mindset; and a Moonshot Mindset. Together we will actively select and reinforce your preferred Mindsets.
Topics: Abundance Entrepreneurship Abundance 360 MTP Passion
