Websters Definition of Passion: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept
Our Definition of Passion: knowing exactly what your next day will look like, the Top 3 things you are going to knock out of the ball park and knowing you are X amount of money away from making your monthly revenue goal (i.e., money in your pocket). And you even look forward to getting up the next morning.
What motivates people to do…well…anything?
That’s the gazillion dollar question that business owners, business consultants, and “employees” have been asking since the day that the guy who invented the wheel started hiring people to design, make, and sell wheels.
Motivational speakers get large amounts of money from business owners at conference centers all over the world to motivate the troops, even though research has shown that you can’t really motivate another person, at least not for any length of time. You can dangle carrots and wield sticks that will have short-term effects that appeal to an individual’s susceptibility to greed or fear but, over time, even these motivators will work less and less effectively.
You may not be able to motivate someone else, but you can discover what motivates you, and use that awareness to unlock all the latent creative talents and passion within yourself. Intrinsic motivation that comes from the inside out is the only lasting passion that will be there day after day, and won’t take a constant stream of reminders, nudges encouragement, threats, and bribes to maintain. As an “intraprenuer” (employee), you must find your passion; but part of your role is also to guide your team to finding their talents for themselves.
But how do you find this hidden motivational switch? What inspires one person to do her job with passion, while another equally gifted person may perform the same task begrudgingly or compliantly, doing only the minimum required “to get by”? Why is one person inspired to do one particular task, but laissez-faire about another? How many of us feel happy that it’s Monday and we know exactly what our week is going to look like? You spend at least 8-9 hours a day at the job; almost 25-30% of your week. If you are a ‘clock watchin’ kind of gal you are missing something really important in your work life – passion.
Sadly, many people don’t enjoy their work. What’s worse is that they have no expectation that they should. Show up for Work, look busy and collect your paycheck so you can pay your bills. And hopefully be able to get home at some point.
Being passionate about your job is more than the old cliché “Do what you love”. It’s looking forward to going to work. It’s looking at the clock at 2PM and realizing you never took your a.m. bagel out of the toaster. It’s working past ‘quitting’ time, not because you’re swamped with work, but because you were so intent you didn’t notice time. Not exactly the reality occurring in your world?
There’s a good chance that you’ve taken a variety of assessment tools to determine your psychological type, cognitive intelligence, social style, or emotional intelligence. Usually, you’re presented with a “holistic” picture of your strengths and weaknesses. Then, you’re given a prescription to help you shore up your weaknesses and learn how to flex your less-dominant modes of perception, social style, or communication preferences.
It’s definitely good to know your weaknesses; but it’s not good to spend all your time, attention, and energy compulsively shoring them up, as if you’re a malfunctioning robot that needs to be fixed.
The key to finding your intrinsic motivation and using it to energize your passion at work is to focus on your strengths.
Stay tuned for Part II where we’ll be showing you how to discovering your strengths by unleashing Your Unique Ability.
To your passion,
Molly & Laney
