Success is never accidental. It is always the result of intense passion”. Paulo Coelho
I go by this success principle mentioned by Earl Nightingale in the Audio “Strangest Secret in the world” where he says that success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal and are achieved by those who do a predetermined job deliberately.
All of us are aware that to be successful we need to set SMART Goals, form good habits which will lead us to achieve them, improve progressively by being consistent and self-disciplined, and accomplish one’s goals by taking massive action. There are many steps, which are to be taken , skills to be developed under each one of these major headings .
However, I will dive deep into an attribute that makes one unstoppable, achieve one’s goal , and take us from where we are to where we want to be. The secret Mantra of all successful people, those who inspire us , those whom we follow, the celebrities, the pioneers, the leaders, is “Passion”: The passion to do something wonderful, to reach some position, to lose weight, to be an expert in some craft, to do something unique and great , make one unable to think of anything else but that, and makes one unstoppable.
So let us delve into what passion is all about and why is important for one’s success? Is Passion infectious and how one can ignite one’s Passion
- What is Passion
Passion is not a knowledge or a skill , but it is an inborn attribute of a person. It is that, what you are born with. It is that what makes you go beyond your call of duty. It is that fire, that energy that makes you do what you want to do . It is that overwhelming drive to reach one’s goals. It is that which makes you to want to get up early and start taking action, and that which will not allow you to sleep .
Passion is the fire that burns in your heart leading to success in achieving what you desire and making you unstoppable.
Having passion for a particular goal, whether personal or professional, provides the energy and motivation to take the actions necessary to achieve that goal. It’s the intangible component that explains why some people and teams are able to stick with their plans and achieve greater levels of success than others.
I am sure that you would have noted this quality in some people who are so passionate about talking about their vision, their mission, about what they want to achieve, that they even forget the time, and get into the flow state of doing everything required to achieve their vision/ goal.
- Why is passion important for success?
Among the traits and abilities that lead to success, passion stands alone. Unlike skill, knowledge, or other factors, passion is innate and so can’t be learned or acquired but is always present.
When we feel the passion in our lives, we have a more positive outlook, higher energy, and greater confidence. We’re not merely going through mechanical motions, but actively taking steps to create the success that we want. Passion is an energy resource that fuels our success in life. Passion correlates to a person’s desire and capacity to go above and beyond the call of duty to achieve superlative outcomes. Passion is also an indicator of an individual’s future success. Also, the more passionate someone is about their job, the more inclined they are to work hard on self-improvement, increasing their chances of success.
As we all know, Success is not easy. Succeeding at work requires a willingness to give it all, grit one’s teeth, dig deep, and grind it out and more so when the going gets tough. It also means not quitting when something doesn’t work out as intended or as hoped. Passion helps people to be empowered to overcome these hurdles .
I can quote many instances from my life, where I felt that all doors were being closed and I may have to quit, too, but the passion to achieve the result, kept me pursuing despite the hurdles, and helped me to achieve my goals.
- How Passion is Infectious
Real passion is infectious, too.
When you’re passionate, you’ll start to affect everyone around you in life—your team, your family, and your friends. Life is challenging, but with a burning passion, you’ll realize that you’re stronger and tougher than anything life can throw at you.
I had the opportunity of working with teams who also became passionate in achieving the team goals . The energy or the fuel that you have ignited in your mind, will make sure that others too follow what you have intended to do. If you work hard, set an example to inspire your teams, walk the talk, and not just preach, it is sure to rub on the teams you lead. Same is the case within the family too. You can’t ask your children to study, when you sit and watch TV or browse the net. You will be able to feel the enthusiasm, the energy, the desire to accomplish if you, yourself have set the bars very high for yourself. You can observe that in the groups that you are associated with too
Once I was on a mission to develop and implement an LMS system. We decided to go in for a new platform knowing fully well that technology was changing and we had to be ready for the same. As stiff deadlines were applicable, we had to really strive hard to keep up with the pace. One day, just before the go live was to happen, we moved the system from Development Servers to Production Servers to test, and were shocked as the configuration of dates on the two servers did not match resulting in errors. As the passion had already rubbed in on the team, all of them stayed back the whole night, to correct all modules, test and upload to Production and meet the deadlines. They had already got energized, enthused and passionate to meet the team goals, vision and deadlines, even though they were dead tired and would have rather taken rest.
So, if you want to get inspired, do surround yourself with inspiring and passionate people, so that it gets rubbed on you, or if you want your team to be passionate, do inspire them by doing what you want them to do , so that they emulate you as passion is contagious
4 How to Ignite your Passion
If you are already doing jobs which are in alignment with your passion, then its fine as you are going to accomplish all your desires . But if you are on a job which is not according to your passion, then the first tip is to start loving the job you are in. Falling in love with what you are doing is the right way to ignite your passion.
Many a times, I was deputed to take up and lead those set ups which were found to have some issues, or where some impossible results were to be achieved, or where we had to really turn around the set up, or struggle to get them going , not necessarily where I had the skills , knowledge or aptitude to do them. As I was passionate about achieving results, mentally I would decide that I am going to accomplish them. So the first thing I would do, is to list the issues and make a master list, categorize them, mull over them, study, analyze, logically arrange them, till I was clear of the whole picture, and ready with the solutions, like as for a jigsaw puzzle, and wanting with my whole and soul to get it going. I would try to simplify the whole process of arriving at solutions. What I wanted to emphasize over here was that, I would start loving the whole process, that I would be driven with some internal energy , which I am unable to totally explain and get it moving in the right direction as if solving a puzzle .
So my tip to ignite passion for what I am deputed to accomplish is to first start loving the same. Love the whole process, love the fact, that it is you who have been called to do it, it is you who alone who can do it, it is the one time opportunity presented to you, the break that you were waiting for to show your worth and so on . And just observe , where it is going to take you, and make you a winner.
Summarizing
- Passion is an overwhelming drive to reach one’s goals. It is the one factor that unites all successful people in equal measures.
- Success also means not quitting when something doesn’t work out as intended Passion will help people to be empowered to overcome the hurdles if any.
- As passion is infectious, surround yourself with Inspiring people who can inspire you to achieve your goals, not those who will steal your energy. If you want others to follow your passion , walk the talk and inspire them.
- Ignite your passion by loving what you are doing, what you had been chosen for, what you had initiated or set up, or what you are good at..
Passion can help one to be more goal-oriented and motivated. It will help one to keep the energy at its momentum when dealing with any plans, goals or when you face obstacles. However, finding your passion is not enough. One needs to take action and be consistent to reach where you want to reach
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” -Oprah Winfrey
When your passion and success match perfectly, you become unstoppable.
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