How I stay Passionate… Even After two Decades

Getting and being passionate about something is generally a good thing. Staying passionate about something is an even better thing but it is an entirely different animal. It consumes a considerable amount of energy and that is why passions often burn out and why staying passionate is so different from simply getting passionate. Therein also lies the first key to how we can stay passionate about something, like I have, for more than two decades now. Here are six of the primary reasons why I have been able to love what I do every day and perhaps they could help you find that same passionate longevity too…

Six Keys to Staying Passionate

1. Do What You are Passionate About

It doesn’t matter if it is making pizzas or technology, if you don’t love it, eventually you won’t even like it. Many businesses fail in that first year and that first year is typically considered the biggest benchmark for new businesses. Common sense alone will tell us, if we aren’t passionate about what we do in that first year, we aren’t going to become passionate about it in six months or five years later either.

Another benefit of doing something you are passionate about, is that you will be more inclined to do it well. Obviously this should lead to greater success in addition to being able to wake up every day to a vocation you love. I love the speed of technology, the constantly changing face of marketing and I love to help people. This is why my run with nvision has been so amazing all these years.

2. Stay Present and  Always be Looking Ahead

The problem many people run into is the lack of change or they simply find themselves drowning in the monotony of the day-to-day routine. I’ve been fortunate, because at nvision, every day there are new situations, projects and so on to keep me engaged. Clients are constantly challenging us with new goals or scenarios we’ve never come across, but having stayed relevant allows us to confidently position the right solutions.

While we need to stay present to maintain our level of excellence and to fulfill our roles to the best of our abilities, keeping an eye on the future is always advised. This is more than just good business sense. In today’s marketplace the next big thing is here and you just haven’t heard of it yet.

More importantly, if you aren’t looking ahead, you could very well end up behind.

Looking to the future is also an excellent way to cater to your passions. If you are that pizza dreamer, what is the next big thing in pizza? Let your passion play. If you are like me, questions sound like, “What is the next technology to enhance SEO strategy or how can marketing make businesses better?” If you follow my blogs, even this most recent one, you will note that I commonly have an eye to the future. Remember, your passion burns fast so it is important to keep the fire stoked.

3. Challenge Yourself

This could be the most important key to maintaining that passion you felt on the first day you began this journey. The problem is, once you achieve those first goals, those passions weaken. It may start with just a dream of opening a business (whatever that business for you was) and once opening day arrives, that fire can quickly begin to weaken.

That is much less likely to happen, however, if your second goal was to…? The point here is this, once you catch what you’re chasing, the thrill is gone. Keep your passion ignited and set the bar high and watch that thrill return once you catch the scent.

Feel free to get creative with your challenges as well. While I am a huge fan of all things technology and while the worlds of business and marketing have my attention, I stumbled across an unexpected joy. When I started to see the impact nvision was having on businesses, that joy became a passion; a passion of helping others succeed. I’ve witnessed so many great success stories and have been on such amazing journey with our partners.

I channeled those passions into finding more ways for nvision to reach out to customers and for our teams to find more ways to help customers. Shopify, WordPress, SEO, Email and a myriad of other services have been the result of challenging ourselves to do more, to be better.

This has all equated to keeping the passion for what I  do burning and I can only see brighter days ahead.

4. Surround yourself with amazing people

Nothing can be more gratifying then being surrounded by people who share the same passion and drive as you do. Spending more time with my work family then my own family is the case 5 of every 7 days, so making sure the energy and vibe is positive with those you’re surrounded by is extremely important. There is nothing worse then being around negativity. It’s distracting and consumes far to much energy. Separate yourself from the bullshit and align yourself with good people who share your values.

5. Stay the Course

I’m a human being and so are you. So when I said earlier, that I wake up “every day” looking forward to going to work, we know being human means having bad days, my staff know when Grumpy George is in the office. Getting through these bad days and not letting one bad day become two and so on is imperative to your success. Taking steps like challenging yourself and staying educated in the market and about what is coming will also help you overcome those hard days.

It could be a bad quarter, a product or service that didn’t produce the results you were hoping for or even a major change in the technology landscape, stay the course. Part of maintaining your passion is persistence. Yes, if that sounds more like work than passion, you’re right. The good news is, if you are doing what you love, keeping an eye to the future and challenging yourself, before long your passion will resume control of the steering wheel – stay the course!

6. External Input

If you have any questions about your next campaign or would just like to get more information about how we can make your business better, contact us. It is also worth noting that sometimes, a good way to stoke those passionate fires, is to bring in an outside source of fuel. Collaborating with another business or marketing professional, for example, can not only lead to the next great campaign but also fan the flames.

Although it has been easy for me to stay motivated and passionate with a nvision, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t had to make an effort to stay motivated and passionate. That effort will prove to be worthwhile and the results will be evident in your work and in your success. Passion is a good thing, passion plus hard work, that’s the best thing and it’s how you keep those fires burning.