Passion in the Workplace
(Yup. I said it.)
Maybe you’ve been there, or maybe you haven’t. I think that passion in the workplace is absolutely necessary for your success. Not just in the office, but in life.
Passion is defined as strong and barely controllable emotion. So many people suppress their passion in life. And where is the joy in that? Whether you embody your passion or you choose to look past it in the mirror, you deserve to be passionate about every single part of your life, including your work.
What am I passionate about? Well, many things. My family, living life, and overwhelmingly, the work that I do. I have an incredible amount of passion for the hospitality industry. The very essence of the work really embodies every part of who I am. It wakes me at 3 am. It causes me to jump out of bed to start my day. It satisfies my drive to keep pushing.
I know you probably thought I was talking about an office romance, and well, I am, but not in the traditional sense. Everyone should want this type of passion in the workplace. What stops us from embracing our passion in the workplace and finding our true north?
Fear Stops Us From Finding Our Passion
I’ve been there and I get it. But where would we be today if Thomas Edison stopped after 1,000 tries during his quest for light coming from a bulb? Possibly not reading this in a room with light, that’s for sure! So don’t stop. We have the opportunity every single day to push through fear. Fear is a made-up entity. It could be based on real time experience, but it doesn’t own your dreams or your passion. So if fear is holding you back, find a way through.
What You Should Do vs. What You Want to Do
Maybe you went to college to be a widget maker. And it’s been 22 years and OMG, the thought of making one more widget makes you want to SCREAM! But you have obligations. So, you put your feet on the floor every morning and there’s no pep in your step. It doesn’t have to be that way. We have learned a lot from the pandemic and for me, one of those things is to follow my passion. We all have the ability to make a change. Challenge yourself to be passionate in the office and do what you want to do. Maybe that means it’s time to ask for a promotion. Maybe it means that it’s time to take a course that leads you to your passion. Whatever it is, bring more passion into your work.
Defining Your Why
One of my favorite TEDx Talks is by Simon Sinek, “Start with Why.” He talks about the importance of our Why and why it’s more important than our What. So back to those pesky widgets. They are What you do. They aren’t Why you make them. Why is your passion? For me, it’s the very essence of who I am and how I live my life. Your Why is your purpose. This knowledge is what inspires us to act AND it is what will inspire those around you.
If you allow fear to stop you from doing what you want to do, you clearly haven’t allowed your Why to embody your passion. If you haven’t yet defined your passion, here are a few questions to get you started…
- What makes you happy?
- If you wanted to teach something, what would it be?
- What do you love to do?
- What are your skills?
- What matters the most to you?
- What are your core values?
- How could you contribute to a business or your own company with these skills and values?
Be the spark that ignites passion in the workplace. Be the leader who people look up to. Be the light that shines brightly. And most importantly, live the passionate life that you were put here to live. We need your contribution more than you know.
Founder/CEO