EP: 38 - Passion: The Key Ingredient To Success

“Be unafraid and relentless in the advocacy for a better business, healthier and happier employees, enriched customers and a sustainable future in order to create profitable growth.” – Will Marre 

Welcome to Episode 38: Passion – The Key Ingredient To Success 
 

Building a business that is stemmed from passion will help you in more ways than you could possibly ever imagine. It will not only allow you to feel confident in what you do, how you share and explain it to the world, but it will also help you in times when you’re feeling languish, low or stuck.

Life as an entrepreneur is already hard enough. There are high highs and low lows. There are times when you will question what you’re even on this crazy path. And that’s where passion comes into play …
 
Here's what we will be untangling in this episode ...

•  The DNA of a successful entrepreneur
• The difference in your business being heart or head
• My story on how creativity keeps my passion alive
• 10 reasons why passion is the key ingredient to success

Are you ready?
Pop in your awesome earbuds and let's dive in!

Transcript

Whether you are just starting to dip your toes into entrepreneurship, or you have been in business for a few years, we have all wondered at one point or another … What is a successful entrepreneur? Who is actually put into that category to walk the walk and talk the talk? 

As I dove in and researched a bit more about the actual DNA of a successful entrepreneur (yah, I put my nerd cap on again!) I started to see similarities that were undeniable. I am not comparing who eats avocado toast for breakfast and who doesn’t, but the tangible skills that one adapts for their own business.

It really just boils down to passion, creativity, and resilience. So, if you’ve got those, you’re ready to embark on the journey!

• Successful entrepreneurs create and plan things.
• Successful entrepreneurs are passionate and resourceful.
• Successful entrepreneurs are highly energetic and motivated.
• Successful entrepreneurs “serve” with a servant’s heart.
• Successful entrepreneurs let everyone sit with them.

Now with that in mind, let me ask you … Is your business heart or head?

When I was first asked if my business was heart or head focused, I had never heard that phrase before … just as like that time someone told me to “go find my carrot”!
 
 I have been asked lots of out of the box questions about my business, but this was the first-time body parts were referenced. (Haha!) 

As I dug deeper into the question, I realized it was more about one’s intentions vs. actual body parts. Just like most of you, I want to live a meaningful happy life that is purpose driven. 
 
 By being able to create and manage my own business, I have the opportunity to respect all humans around the globe, no matter race, sexuality, age, size, looks, or location -- and the environment along the way. 

As University of Virginia Darden School of Business professor Edward Freeman puts it … “We need red blood cells to live (the same way a business needs profits to live), but the purpose of life is more than to make red blood cells (the same way the purpose of business is more than simply to generate profits).”
 

So, what does it mean to lead with your heart?
 
You will find that …

• You consistently show positive characteristics such as empathy, cooperation, and compassion;
• You often respond by using your intuition. (And sometimes also your gut.); and
• You are happy regardless of the outcome of your actions. 

 And if you lead with your head?
 
You will find that …

• You always work according to your plans;
• You constantly worry about other people’s opinions; and
• You always are focused on getting things done. 

I honestly believe because of this, there needs to be a balance of the two. In fact, one could argue that you could use logical thinking and a strong heart to create that kind of exceptional balance. Now, there are some cases where your head and heart may debate, but then on the flipside, that logic may not be the right approach. Hence why you should also follow your heart!

As a small business owner, you receive the opportunity to create your own balanced business. You get to control how the ship runs and where it goes with the decisions you make along the way.

As Will Marre posted in Real Leaders, “Be unafraid and relentless in the advocacy for a better business, healthier and happier employees, enriched customers and a sustainable future in order to create profitable growth.”

So, if you are wanting to make a shift to add a bit more heart into your business, know that you need to work on being more empathetic. And by looking at your business from your customer’s point of view, it helps you embrace the core values and goals you have set to help your customers thrive. 

Once again, on the flip side, if you are looking to add more head to your business, start by developing your vision and goals. Then from there, you can break things down into a plan that you can get your heart behind. 
 
 

Today’s topic is a lot more “real-feel” than what you’re used to listening to on this podcast, or reading on my blog … discussing technical items, survival tips and whatnot in this ever-growing niche of virtual living and working from home. So, that’s why I’m going to put a different spin on things by touching base on the creative side of my personality as it has played a huge role in my life, since day one of picking up a crayon as a young girl to the artistic woman I am today … 

I truly feel that to in order to be successful, the first thing you need to do is fall in love with your work. Like really in love! Not just, “I think I could like this and make it work”, type of feeling. We don’t all get the luxury of being in love with our careers, but those that do will understand where I’m going with this …

To me, passion is the key ingredient to being a successful entrepreneur, not the fancy paper framed in your office, how many clients you have, or how much money you make. Finding your passion isn’t about careers and money. It’s about finding your authentic self. The one you’ve buried beneath other people’s needs. 

I am passionate about many things … painting and drawing, writing, reading soulful-inspired novels, nature, animals (especially my kitties), helping people who are less fortunate, and gourmet cooking. My list could honestly go on forever, but what’s dearest to my heart is creativity and a true love for creativity in all its forms. 

When I become inspired, I tend to brainstorm ideas with all different types of mediums, because I feel exploration creates pure greatness, and love of one idea in a specific medium may inspire another. I do it because the passion inside me drives it … and because it’s fun and I want to! I don’t create this way to impress anyone else. I do it because it brings me more JOY that I could possibly even express. Aspiring creatives, whether designers just like myself, product engineers, social media strategy gurus, artists, writers, and DIYers simply create at will.
 
So, when time allows you to spend your time doing exactly what YOU WANT to do, do you squander it away? 

Of course not. 

Your free time is the last thing you want to waste. Passion leads to productivity no matter what your personal work style. I have never once felt that I’m “slaving away” when I’m executing a personal project or even when I’m working on something for a client or my own business, because in the end, I’m in my creative bubble and that alone motivates me to keep creating. It inspires gratitude and makes me happy from the inside out.
 
 When your career is something you truly enjoy, your life outside of work will be influenced positively as well. When stress is not tagging along after a rough day at the office, life at home is just the way it should be … free of work-induced stress! You will absolutely love that feeling you get from inspiring someone else, which I think is absolutely and incredibly exhilarating! 

So, when everyone around you sees you pursuing a career you enjoy, it's contagious.   

On a daily basis, I read content created by others who have transformed their true passion(s) into a full-time (or perhaps even just part-time) career. I also take evening cruises through social media to get inspired by what others put their hearts and souls into. They're all pursuing their passion, some may even have multiples like I do, which makes me want to continue to do the same. 

Building a business that is stemmed from passion will help you in more ways than you could possibly ever imagine. It will not only allow you to feel confident in what you do, how you share and explain it to the world, but it will also help you in times when you’re feeling languish, low or stuck.

Life as an entrepreneur is already hard enough. There are high highs and low lows. There are times when you will question what you’re even doing on this crazy path. And that’s where passion comes into play … You can always tune into passion to help you with your branding, storytelling, copywriting, and everything else that represents you and your business. Passion is what draws the “right people” to want to learn from you or work with you. It’s what makes you likeable, relatable, and interesting.
 
 

No matter your niche, your offerings, or whether you’re creative or not, here’s 10 reasons why passion is the key ingredient to YOUR success …

1. It inspires the visions for your business, even if it’s in a niche that no one has done before -- or a crowded space.
2. It brings networking, collaboration and working with the “right people” to the forefront.
3. It helps you create an authentic “human touch” brand and story.
4. It helps bring clarity in times when you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or uncertain.
5. It helps you create a solid foundation in which you can establish a core mission, values, and goals.
6. It ramps up your motivation, your productivity, and your confidence.
7. It helps you own your space as the expert we all know you are.
8. It helps you grow your social networks and your trusty email list.
9. It helps you create authentic content that resonates and engages with the right audience -- and hopefully some influencers too!
10. It sets you apart from your competitors -- or compete-peers as my friend Linda would say, which I just love.

So, by doing what you really truly love to do, you will not be the only person benefiting from it, as those around you will clearly see what a difference a passion can make in life.

Which brings me to an exhilarating, inspiring, and heartful quote by Maya Angelou, that I’d like to end today’s digital glue “untangling” with …

“My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive and do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”