I certainly believe that there is a direct correlation between passion and success. Becoming successful is difficult but your passion can keep you going during those tough moments. Not every accomplished person is passionate about their job or business, but I think you’d lead a much better life when you derive joy from your work.
What is Passion?
Passion is what you love to do. It could be a number of things really, but it’s whatever activity that fills you up with positive emotional energy. I also think that there’s a hierarchy to this stuff based on the amount of energy you get in return.
For example, at the top of my passion list includes activities like exercise, creative work and learning. Other activities like charity work and talking to loved ones gives me joy albeit to a lesser degree.
How to Find Your Passion(s).
Finding your passion actually starts with finding yourself and identifying your strongest character traits. These traits are a combination of genetic and environmental factors but they govern your life and influence the things you do. So, the question is, how would you describe yourself?
Here are a few character adjectives
- generous
- Empathetic
- Honest
- loyal
- kind
- Imaginative
- persistent
We all have good and bad character traits and that’s normal. Your uniqueness comes from a blend of your strengths and weaknesses. So, take the time to know yourself and live an examined life
Finding Your Passion Is Simple
I think a lot of people believe their passion has to be something high flying or noble. Not at all. It’s any activity that gives you positive vibes. For some people, it’s eating, for others, it might be doodling for hours or being alone. If the activity makes you feel guilty or sad after you are done, it’s not your passion.
How Passion Leads to Success
To succeed in life, you have to learn how to channel whatever you love into whatever you have to do. Or learn how to unify all the parts of your life.
I once worked in regulatory affairs where my job was a lot of documentation and meetings. I was in charge of obtaining marketing authorizations for several medicine products in Nigeria. Even though I didn’t interface directly with patients, I understood that my work directly impacted their health. If I worked harder to make the products readily available in the country, it would be easier for patients to get their medical supplies and lead better quality lives.
Find A Job that Aligns with Your Strengths
Finding a job that you are good at is key. This does not mean the job would necessarily be easier or that you wouldn’t face tight deadlines or have to deal with terrible co-workers. It just means that in your moments of reflection; when you are considering all the positives and negatives, the scale tilts to the former.
When you are doing something you love, you feel a sense of fulfilment and you’d want to spend a lot of your time doing that thing. Shonda Rhimes describes this feeling as experiencing “the hum”. She calls it an open road you could drive on forever.
Add Hard work and Knowledge To Your Passion
Passion can keep you going during the tough times, but dedication to your craft is what makes you successful. You have to commit yourself to see it to the end. Also, when you know better, you do better. So it’s important to learn and improve as you get by.
This is what I know for sure. It pays to follow your passion. We are all hoping to get to the promised land; a place of fulfilled dreams. But the journey is just as rewarding as the destination. It’s really like the making of a butterfly; the journey changes you and what emerges at the end is really like magic.
Call To Action.
Take a Personality test. You’d learn so much about yourself.
