Motivated by Passion, Held Back by Fear (eBook)

Chapter 1

: 10 Key Principles of Passion

“Every man without passion has within him no principle of action, nor motive of act.”

~ Claude A. Helvetius

Much of the wisdom in Motivated by Passion, Held Back by Fear is a result of an in-depth analysis of data collected as part of the 2010 Living Your Passion (LYP2010) research study. In that study, we surveyed over 1,000 women of all ages, races, and educational backgrounds, along with many other factors that make up the myriad of women who exist in the United States and undoubtedly abroad. The focus of the research dealt with anything related to Passion – from defining it to living it. The 10 Key Principles of Passion emerged from that research.

We asked women identified as living their passion the following question: “What advice would you give others seeking to live their lives doing what they are passionate about?” The most common advice recommended by them was simply to do what makes you happy (27%). As we’ll explore later, this “doing what makes you happy” is nearly always synonymous with your natural talents. An almost equally popular response was to stay focused and be persistent (23%). Yet another group responded, “just do it” (18%). All this advice seems easy enough – just as easy as brushing your teeth or chewing gum. Yet, for most of us, some of these things are actually very hard to put into practice.

According to others, there is even more practical advice to follow: 8% say, “seek God” and another 6% say that you must believe in yourself to live your passion. Only 3% suggest the most practical advice, which is to do something toward your passion every day. Another 3% suggest that you set goals and make plans for living your passion. An even smaller percentage of women think that it takes risks or that you need to develop a skill or get an education (2%). Though few mentioned them, these nuggets are very prudent advice. The remaining 8% of women had very different ideas making it hard to develop any meaningful themes from their responses.

From the perspective of women who are living their passion, taken together, all of this advice leads to what we believe encompasses the key principles to living your passion. If you follow these principles, you too will enjoy the positive life outcomes that women who are living their passion enjoy. Let’s explore each on its own merit.

Follow your heart

Be persistent

Have faith

Forget what “they” say

Do a little every day

Set goals and make plans

Take risks

Develop your natural talent

Dream

Lead by Example

Principle 1 : Follow Your Heart

The first rule of living your passion is to do what makes you happy, not what makes you rich. Word has it that doing what makes you happy IS what will make you rich...rich spiritually, physically, mentally, and yes, financially. So, the first and most advised order of business from women living their passion is to do what brings you joy. Spend your time in that space, fully engaged. Follow your heart.

Finding your passion is like discovering a hidden treasure. It is not the money that makes you happy but the purpose and the joy it gives you. Doing what you love tends to remove the boredom and misery in your life and helps you to discover richness and fulfillment.

This may sound pretty corny. But if you think about the larger implications, this wisdom implores you to focus your energies on something that you truly enjoy doing. When you enjoy doing what you do, it won’t feel like work. If you enjoy it, it will most assuredly make you happy. Focus on this and see what happens. The challenge, however, is that many women don’t know what makes them happy.

I was having lunch with my girlfriends recently, and while we were doing our normal round robin regarding what’s going on in our lives, one shared a story of someone else’s success and their journey to that success. She did not share her own because she admitted, surprisingly, that she didn’t know what her passion was. This friend is the type who always has her “stuff” together. So it nearly bowled me over to learn that she didn’t know what truly makes her happy. Women like her focus on what might be bringing home a paycheck, not what brings them happiness. The ability to fully realize your earning potential doing something that makes you miserable is close to impossible. How long can you really keep this up? Not long is my guess.

Over and over again, we are advised to “do what you love.” That’s it, just do what you love. Do what you are truly passionate about and quit thinking about the money. The money will follow. First, find what you love to do (that “thing” that you feel is your God-given talent) and then do it!  Or, try several different things and see what sticks…effortlessly. What flows effortlessly for you is more than likely your passion. Especially, if it makes you happy.

Principle 2 : Be Persistent

Persistence. This is absolutely THE best piece of advice. Even in the face of adversity, you have to find the will to keep going, to be persistent, and to keep reaching for your goals. Adversity should never derail your dreams. Simply put, don’t give up! I have personally started three businesses to date. The very first one didn’t fail. I would say it stalled. The main reason is because I didn’t take the time to do something to cultivate it every day – a little more on that Principle later. I wasn’t persistent at making it work. However, I didn’t feel defeated because I acknowledged the fact that I did very little to make the business work. I got back what I put into it.

If you have started a business and feel that you have done everything in your power to make it work, but still feel defeated, keep going. The alternative is to quit. But where will that actually get you? You are signing up for failure for certain if you quit. At that rate, you will never get to where you want to be. But if you keep going, if you research and act upon other avenues that will get you to your destination, you have a much higher chance for success. At times during your journey, you may even have to put your plans on hold for a few weeks, months or even years while you tend to other things such as having kids or supporting your husband or sister or brother in their endeavors. Eventually, you’ll need to pick up where you left off. That’s persistence!

My second and third businesses are still operational. The second one, I dedicate much more time to. I have had more setbacks than I care to share. Yet, I still keep moving forward because it is something I believe in and feel will help to play a role in my reaching financial freedom. Little by little, I’m persistent at making them successful.

Principle 3 : Have Faith

Seek Him first, pray, ask for guidance, and then thank God constantly for His continued blessings.

Do you believe in a higher power or a spiritual source from which you draw encouragement and inspiration? If so, join the club. Most of us do. For those of you who do not, read this section anyway. We are all advised to seek answers and guidance in order to live our passions. Believe that God will give you direction and then work toward your goals. Pray, pray some more, and then pray even harder! Follow up your prayers with a lot of work (acting on what you believe) and you’ve got much of what you need to make your passion a reality.

Maintaining an active spiritual life and keeping God first is the third most common piece of advice women living their passions give. That’s both interesting and powerful. Simply praying for God to deliver your passion to your doorstep won’t get you where you need to be. Prayer is the number three strategy that women use to reach their passion pinnacle. So, take heed. Start right now. Put this book down for just a few minutes and pray for what you want. Believe it and have faith that it will be yours.

This sounds easy, right? It is. But how often do you actually do it? When was the last time you’ve asked for guidance? Be honest. When? Okay. No need to beat yourself up about it. Just do what is necessary to get the job done. Pray. Pray. Pray. And then pray some more!

Principle 4 : Forget what “they” say

Have you ever been the victim of someone’s negativity? You know, them constantly telling you that you can’t do this or do that? “Ooh, no one has ever done that before!” Duh, that’s why you are doing it. There is obviously still a need or an opportunity to display creativity or uniqueness, so you’ve taken to filling it. Or, they might say, “Are you sure about that?” You must first believe in yourself before you have the confidence to say exactly how sure you are about your passion or dream. You have to believe it first. Once you do, there’s no stopping you. What “they” say – as we refer to anyone who has something negative or not so encouraging...