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While at a networking event the other night I observed
as conservative men in conservative suits exchanged
their conservative business cards and conservative
conversation. I was then drawn to a young Asian
woman in a colorful outfit who's face lit up when
I asked her what she did. She was a graphic designer
with a passion for Japanese comic art.
Whenever I prepared to gracefully depart she'd
pull out another sample of her work and present
it with such enthusiasm that it was impossible not
to listen a few more minutes. Although I could see
little business potential she was by far the most
interesting person at the event.
It's not hard to figure out who loves their work
and who doesn't. Those who love their work exude
a very positive, attractive energy. And those who
don't exude something quite the opposite -- a negativity
which often takes the form of rude behavior, arrogance,
or just plain boredom. A passionate person is also
a powerful person. I'll never forget a comment from
ad guru Tom McElligott who was once asked about
his secret for his high success rate in selling
his edgy creative work to clients. "It's not
about selling,'" explained McElligott, "it's
about passion. Clients can tell if you truly believe
in what you're presenting, or not."
In the book entitled, "How They Achieved:
Stories of Personal Achievement and Business Success,"
twenty-one of the country's most successful CEO's,
entrepreneurs, and visionaries are interviewed about
their path to the top. Some, as you would expect,
knew early on exactly what they wanted to achieve.
Others, surprisingly, didn't. All, however, shared
one powerful characteristic: passion. They were
all involved with things they loved doing.
According to former PepsiCo CEO, Don Kendall, "if
you're not excited as hell about what you're doing,
you'd better find something else. There's no way
you're going to be successful if you1re not excited
about what you're doing." John Sculley,
former CEO of both PepsiCo and Apple says, "I
never really cared about making a lot of money.
I was more concerned about doing things that were
interesting -- things that would make a difference."
Adds Robert Mondavi of Mondavi Vineyard, "You
must be passionate about what you do if you want
to succeed and live a happy life. Find a job you
love, and you'll never have to work a day in your
life." After hearing testimonies like these
is it any surprise that these people
are successful?
Whenever I meet new people I'm curious about what
they do. But I'm also curious about what they love.
Rather than just ask the expected, "So, what
do you do?" I often ask; "So, what's your
passion?" Try it sometime and see what happens.
Those unfortunate souls who have no passion in their
life will look at you oddly, mumble something, and
then probably get another drink. Those with passion,
on the other hand, will light up and eagerly share
their joy of traveling, or gourmet cooking, or salsa
dancing, or whatever it is they love doing. And,
like the woman at the networking event, a few lucky
people will actually talk about their work.
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