Create Your Passion!

We've all heard “Follow your passion” and “Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life”. Yeah, that sounds great but not particularly practical in my opinion. After all, how many of us really know what our passion is in our teens? Or that it won't change over time. I'm still disappointed that I wasn't cut out for being a pilot. Or realistic? Very few make it in professional sports, top music acts, etc.

So, what's the alternative? My view is much more pragmatic. I think following opportunity is more effective. Being able to recognize opportunity is a skill all on its own but we all encounter opportunity frequently. The biggest challenge is to filter out which to take. In school we have opportunities presented to study music, play sports, work with our hands in a shop and so on. In college we have the opportunity to study many subjects, often leading to unexpected career choices.

In business it's imperative to be open to recognize and take advantage of opportunities. To find an example of this working out splendidly we don't have to look any further than Amazon. It started as on online book seller. Man, did that change! I'm not suggesting everyone in business strive to duplicate Amazon's model, I'm just saying that you never know where opportunities may lead unless you allow them the light of day.

How to recognize opportunities? Paying attention to your business and that of your competition is a good way to start. A hairdresser may have someone come in to get their hair done for a wedding. Seeing this as an opportunity, the hairdresser then goes after that business directly, becoming known as a wedding specialist. A plumber gets called for a simple job (say, changing the ballcock out in a toilet) in a large gated community and sees an opportunity to get free exposure by holding clinics in the clubhouse for DIY projects. Sure, he may lose a few small jobs but now the entire community knows to call on him when needed.

A small pizza shop may not offer delivery because of the expense, liability, etc. but sees others using services such as Delivery Dudes and recognizes by adding this service, the business is open to a whole new clientele.

The moral of the story is simple. If you start grousing about the work grind, become aware of opportunities that can change your life for the better. The satisfaction of doing any job well is a strong motivator and the financial success that many times follow is a great way to create your own passion for what you do.