Passion Makes Work More Meaningful
Passion – the dictionary defines passion as “any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate”. What is it that you have a passion for? When I ask my clients what they are passionate about I get a variety of answers. Recently one said to me that his country had been good to him now he wanted to give back. Another said she wanted to insure that her children to grow up in an earth without pollution.
Creating a vision allows a person to harness the energy of his/her passion. What will happen when he gives back or when she eliminates pollution? How will the world look once their vision has been fulfilled?
Whether you are looking for employment, working in a job or practicing law you need to have the passion to convince others that your vision is important to them too. Can you convince everyone? Probably not, but you do want some help from those who agree with you. When you do find work that supports your passion the work will be meaningful to you.
Many Interviews but no job offer
Recently a client asked me to tell him why after several interviews he had not received even one job offer. He thought he had done really well at the interviews. He was comfortable that he had answered all the questions intelligently and completely. Still there were no job offers.
Without being there of course it is hard to know why he did not get a job offer. Sometimes there is no good reason! However when I listened to his answers to simple interview questions about why he wanted a particular job I could hear that he wasn’t very convincing. There was no audible passion.
When I suggested he be really enthusiastic about his past accomplishments and then let the interviewer hear what he would do in the position they had open, he objected. He said in interviewing people himself he felt someone who “oversold” what he or she could do was full of BS.
I agree you can’t be phony about this. It must come from the heart. You must show that “love or hate.” How do you show someone else by the way you talk that you love this country and want to give back or that you hate pollution and want to get rid of it? It takes more than just saying the words.
Marketing actions must come from the heart too.
A lawyer client complained that his young associate did not take marketing action steps with the same energy and enthusiasm that he had done when he was just starting out. He had made several suggestions to her but she did not follow any them.
To help her to find her passion I suggested he ask her what it is that drove her to the practice law. What did she love about it? First she must find that genuine feeling that ignites her and then she can share it with others. Sharing your passion is the first step in building relationships.
Passion gives you the energy to enthusiastically meet the work day
What is it that makes you jump out of bed in the morning ready to meet the work day? What kind of work do you want to be doing every day? In order to do that kind of work you will need to find others who share your enthusiasm about your vision and passion and want to help you make it a reality.
As you probably have guessed by now I am passionate about people doing the work they love. My goal is to help as many people as I can to find the kind of work they are really passionate about. This may mean changing careers or just finding the spark in the work that they already do so they can work in a way that sets them apart from others. I share my passion through my newsletter, my blog, my website and my practice. I believe that the world would be a better place if we all were happy at work! Can I help you to find your passion and vision? Call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com.
Be sure to read the September 2010 Parker’s Points 10 ways to Display Passion.
