​Turning Passion into Profit

When the great speaker and visionary of our time, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave that riveting speech that echoed around the world, and still does today, he did not say, "I have a strategic plan." Nor did he say he had a goal, a philosophy or a manifesto. What did he say? Of course he said, "I have a dream." 

In business, dreaming is serious business and the driving force for transformation. Without vision, companies fail and without our personal vision, our dreams, our lives can become mundane, redundant even stagnate.

When we are in touch with our passion we have more energy, enthusiasm and creativity. In a business context "passion sells". Wouldn't you rather do business with people who enjoy what they are doing rather than someone who is just doing a job? Passion and productivity go hand in hand. Happy people make happy employees and happy employees go the extra mile, producing greater results.

How do you turn passion into profit? Do what matters and has meaning for you and the money will follow. But do it with passion and it may become easier to accomplish. A visionary leader articulates their vision with clarity so people understand what it is, and with passion so others want to join them. Passion is contagious. It can help you sell your ideas or products to others.

Passion inspires people to do great things, to go beyond normal limits and to soar to new heights.

Passion is the fire in your belly. It is when you are compelled to action. Passion is the juice that will help you move mountains to accomplish your dreams and goals, personally and professionally. Passion is a time management tool, because when you are doing what you love, it often gets done faster. The secret to a joyful life is to schedule more things into your everyday life that have heart and meaning for you.

During a recent Oprah appearance, where the show was about encouraging people to start their own businesses, a panel of experts agreed that passion in business is the critical component for success because you are bound to have difficult days when your passion can help get you through it. When I asked Oprah about her vision for her company, she said, "I wanted to create a company where people could have fun." She is the richest, self-made woman in America and her passion is about having fun. She went on to add, "My dream was to create a company where people would come together, make a contribution, and then we would give back to the world." Needless to say, the audience went wild as they passionately responded to her vision. People are inspired by enthusiasm.

Find your passion and bring it to your work and life. Here's how:

1. Use passion as the barometer to say no thank you when you have a choice. Clear away some clutter and make room for your dreams.

2. Passion Quest—take a period of time a day, week, month to discover exactly what is it you are passionate about.

3. Think of three times in your life when you were truly feeling passionate. Find a common thread. Were you learning, teaching, risk taking, helping others, having fun or problem solving? What was it that you were passionate about in all three memories?

4. Explore how you can bring more of this quality to your work. How can you make your work more fun, educational or adventurous? Bring more of what you love into your every day life.

5. Encourage people to bring their passion for fun, success, creativity, helping others or trying new things, to their work.

Consider these tips for success:

▲ The people who are the most successful and satisfied with their work and life, know that passion lives inside of us. The secret is to intentionally bring more of what you love into your daily life.

▲ Bring your passion to your work, and you'll manage your team differently.

▲ Tune into what excites you and you will show up differently in your relationships with others.

▲ Bring your excitement and enthusiasm to your customers and they will buy more from you.

▲ Focus your passion and use it to compel your business forward. Passion without focus can be wasted energy. But passion with clarity and commitment can be an unstoppable life-changing formula for success.

Another way to contribute to the bottom line is, to keep your employees healthy. Medically speaking, it has been proven that people with passion and dreams actually live longer healthier lives than those who are just going through the motions. Apoptosis is when the brain sends a message to the body that it is no longer needed. People feel they've outgrown their usefulness, especially when they retire, experience an empty nest, or when they stop dreaming, What is the cure or antidote for this? Passion and Dreams. So not only will passion help you grow your business and make you more successful and fulfilled, but it can also be a fountain of youth.

Money does not have to be the obstacle stopping you from pursuing your dream. People often say, "I'd pursue my dream if I could only afford it." So I ask, "How much money do you need?" The most common answer is "I don't know…but I know I don't have enough." It is the fear of failure that keeps us from sitting down with a pencil and assessing our needs. It is doubt and concern that keep us from exploring other creative options such as bartering or trading services.

Grow your company, your team, your family and your own well being, by igniting your passion and sharing it with others. Increase your profit and productivity by inspiring people to dream big. Demonstrate that your company is a unique and fabulous place to be, because you encourage people to bring their passion to work. When this happens, everyone wins.

About the Author: As America's Dream Coach®, Marcia Wieder is a Rome, Italy-based motivational speaker, specializing in goal setting, visionary thinking and team building.

Written by Marcia Wieder, Edited by: Bev Ehrlich, Certified Dream Coach®.

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