My advice for anyone is really make sure you are staying true to yourself . And no matter what you do figure out what would you be so passionate about doing that you would be happy doing it for ten years even if you didn’t make any money doing it… and that’s what you should be doing. And the funny thing is if you actually do something you are passionate about then work no longer feels like work. Every business has its ups and downs and the passion is what is going to get you through the tough times. Your passion is going to rub off onto your employees and have this rebel effect on your customers and your business partners and so I always advise people to chase the passion, chase the vision, not the money.
– Tony Hsieh
The statement above seems to have worked out for Tony. Know who Tony is? You should, only because he’s got this thing called passion down to a science. Tony Hsieh is the multi-millionaire CEO of the billion-dollar company called Zappos, the online outfit which offers free shipping BOTH ways on shoes, clothing and more. (I have nothing to do with Zappos, but the free-shipping both ways deal certainly gets the attention of my wife and daughters.)
I recently listened to an interview with Tony and you can tell he is a brilliant mind working around the clock to bring happiness to the world, via Zappos. He’s all about passion and we all can learn a lesson from the statement which started this blog.
Look below at the core values for Zappos, they could apply to business or to the personal side of life.
- Deliver WOW Through Service
- Embrace and Drive Change
- Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
- Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
- Pursue Growth and Learning
- Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
- Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
- Do More With Less
- Be Passionate and Determined
- Be Humble
You can easily see why those ten core values could help guide you through a successful business, one you might start or run on your own, or your daily life — find the passion and pursue it with those ten principles as your guiding light.
Want more inspiration that this is the way to live, that this pursuit is worth it? Consider some of these inspiring thoughts from another blog I found about the same topic: passion. (http://addicted2success.com/life/6-reasons-to-chase-your-passion/)
The most amazing experience in the world is working towards a goal that truly interests you, truly sets your blood on fire, and motivates you to do more than yesterday. If you do not build your own dream then someone else will hire you to build theirs.
The old saying; do what you love and you will never work a day in your life still holds true. Passion is something that allows you to remove the title of work from your actions. It is something that no one will ever need to tell you to get to work on. You enjoy doing it and can do it to the exclusion of everything else. There is no feeling quite like waking up to live a life that you designed from the ground up.
It is only when you are able to shift from the mindset of amassing things and objects to one of amassing experiences and memories that you will truly be able to chase and enjoy your passion. There will be nothing holding you back from achieving greatness at that point.
Passion is something that is given to us by a divine hand. We only have two choices; we can chase it to the end and eventually achieve greatness or we can allow it to burn out like a fire drenched with water. In the end, the choice is yours but I sincerely hope that you choose to fight for your dreams and make the world a more amazing place in the process.
If you are a baker then bake the best bread in the world. If you are a rock climber then teach people to master their fears and climb mountains. If you are a blogger then create the most amazing blog. There is no limit to what you can do and once you achieve mastery, the world will beat down a path to your door.
It takes time and it takes PASSION!
By the way, this blog, It’s Just About… Life & The Sunday Series is just about halfway through its third year. There are more than 400 posts, (today is #414), including more than 70 stories of courage, hope and inspiration in The Sunday Series, which this month will also become a podcast. And – oh by the way – I don’t get paid for any of this.
It’s my PASSION. Just sayin’….
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark
Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Speaker, Emmy Winner, USHEALTH Advisors (http://www.ushagent.com/markbrodinsky)
Author: The #1 Amazon Best-Seller: It Takes 2: Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
(http://www.spouses-story.com/)
Give feedback here on the blog, or reach out on social media. Or, even e-mail me at markbrodinsky@gmail.com
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