What's your passion?

Helping purpose-driven leaders to lead on purpose.  

Apparently, nine out of ten adults have or want a pursuit that ignites their passionate side.  That’s what the study conducted by Alpha Romeo found as part of their recent #FindYourPassion campaign. 

The campaign was designed by the iconic car company to illustrate the passion that Alpha Romeo brings to their corporate ethos, and to help the British public put passion back into their lives.  Over half of those responding (57%) listed Sir David Attenborough as the most passionate person in the UK.

“Without passion you may run out of steam before you reach your dream.”~ John Maxwell

After the veteran broadcaster, naturalist and environmental campaigner, the Harry Potter author JK Rowling was second, then the increasingly popular physicist who brings science to the masses, Professor Brian Cox, along with the leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon, were both close behind.

This research also found that nearly half of the respondents (46%) confirmed that they don’t have the time to pursue a passion due to pressures of work, while those who did have something they were passionate about indicated that they were happier and healthier than those without such a passion. 

Over the last 18 months or so I have been working with an organisation which has an international team of over 300 comprising mainly volunteers from some 25 countries; it’s fascinating to work with a team that is so connected to a core mission and that are passionate about what they do. 

"Roger helps provide leadership for over 300 volunteers in nearly 40 countries. He has a great ability to get a high-level view of a system or situation and provide a fresh perspective and helpful next steps to make it better. He’s a big asset to our organisation."~ Steven Roberts

One of the hallmarks of this team is that the volunteers are all so obviously passionate about their work, and spend many dedicated hours every week to ensure that the mission and purpose are carried out with enthusiasm.  It’s really inspiring to see such dedication from such a large multinational team. 

A key question to ask about any dream, vision or mission statement is the passion question: “Does my dream compel me to follow it?” 

So what are the hallmarks of a dream that make it consistently important for those pursuing that dream to continue pursuing it with enthusiasm for years on end?  Well, here are four things that can help provide energy for a dream:

• Take into account your natural temperament

We’re not all the same.  Obvious, I know, and probably a very good thing!  However, it is important to understand your natural temperament when exploring your dream and make sure that the part you play draws on your natural strengths and temperament so that you stay committed in the long run.   

• Keep an eye on what’s important to you

It is important to remember what drew you to the dream in the first place, and to keep the main thing, the main thing.  It can be too easy to get distracted by the day to day pressures and lose sight of what you were drawn to in the first place.  Too many people start to pursue a passion for one reason and then lose that passion for another reason entirely. 

• Overcome the fear of being different from others

You can’t be part of the crowd and achieve your dream at the same time.  If you have been following a dream passionately it is inevitable that you’ll stand out from those that aren’t, and it’s okay to be different. 

• Resist the apathy that often comes with time

I have been involved in selling control system projects for many years, and there is a well-known challenge that causes companies to make a great start and then to begin losing customers.  The first project is costed up based on the best estimate of the work involved and the likely challenges.  A subsequent project has the benefit of understanding some of the unforeseen pitfalls and problems, and that can cause the cost estimates to be gradually increased until there are so many contingencies built in that the project is overpriced and the business is lost.  In the same way, an apathy can settle in over some time to the routine of pursuing a passion when focus shifts from the payoff to the problems encountered along the way.

One definition of Passion is: “It’s the thing you are thinking about when you should be thinking about something else!” 

So what's that thing you're thinking about now?  It probably isn't anything to do with the environment, or with the science of the cosmos, or even getting involved with an international volunteer activity, but what do you think about when you should be thinking about something else, and what are you going to do about it?