Find Inspiration in Your Passion

I’m reading “Crush It” by Gary Vaynerchuck and Daniel Pink’s “Drive.” You may recognize both names. Daniel wrote, “A Whole New Mind.” The premise of “Chuck It” and “Drive” is to follow your dream and passion while identifying what motivates you. Doing what you love no longer becomes work or play; it just is. That’s what I love about these books.

As creative professionals we often have dreams about owning agencies, designing the next best thing, and being able to live a life of working at night or whenever we want. No rules. No Boundaries.

Well in Gary’s book, he talks about how you—Yes You!—can turn your passion into what you do each and every day. He also talks about how you, as a professional, need to define your personal brand. If you’re looking for a job, and even if you’re not, you need to define yourself and identify who you are as a brand. I’ve talked about that in the 3-30 pitch and there are a lot of articles about personal branding.

Why is personal branding so important?

If you haven’t noticed, the way in which we find jobs has changed. The traditional method of searching job boards ad infinitum, until we can no longer decipher one site from another, is just not how the job world works today. It’s about networking, social media, and defining yourself to stand out from the crowd—creating a personal brand.

Case in Point

As I approached my job search in 2009, I knew I needed to branch out into areas I hadn’t before. Of course, I jumped on the job boards and added my profile and created search agents. But, I also took things two steps further. I ordered my own business cards. I was even more active in LinkedIn groups than I had been before, which is amazing since I’m very active. I began a blog about corporate creativity because I believe in it and support it. I networked like crazy. I attended events. I searched for genres that I was truly interested in.

In the end, I am happy to say, I’ve just landed a new position in social media. I am very passionate about social media. I’m no Chris Brogan by any stretch of the means, but I love it. Embrace it. Write about it. Speak about it. And now I’m getting paid for it.

I also love to write. In my new role, I will be managing the corporate blog, writing white papers, online copy, and so much more. A win for me!

Knock it out of the park!

I’ve heard many times throughout 2009 that the market is depressed and that “I’ll find a new job when the market opens.” I poo poo that approach. Take destiny with both hands and throw it to the wind. Embrace change. Seek and find what makes you get up in the morning. What you’re jazzed about. Knock it out of the park with passion.

In several informational interviews I conducted over this year, each company recruiter and decision maker I chatted with told me they were more impressed with passion and creativity in a new employee versus their skill set. That people, is a shift in paradigm.

Worms You Say?

You might think you have an obscure passion and believe you cannot make any money doing it. Well, you may need to shift your thinking a little. Consider what it is that you love. Do you blog about it? Speak about it? Join others in conversations about it? If not, you should. Find the resources at your fingertips about the areas you are most interested in and seek them out.

Let’s take an example. You love worms. You love everything about worms. You are the most knowledgeable person you know who knows anything about worms. You could talk about worms all day and night to anyone who would listen. Well, unless you work in bait shop, and even if you do, what ware you doing about getting yourself heard? Do you:

• Blog
• Attend conferences
• Consult on the topic
• Educate yourself and others
• Speak about the topics in public
• Network with fellow worm-aholics

Until you harness this passion, you may never feel fulfilled in what you spend most of your day doing…working. The people we know who are über-successful more than likely are not doing something they hate—with the exception of Andre Agassi. Most people who are successful, not just financially, but personally, and spiritually are doing the things they love most in life.

What can you do to harness your passion?

So, now that you’ve got your whole life ahead of you and you’re wondering how to break from the mold, consider this. Being passionate about what you do is the key to your success.

• Find others who share similar points of interest
• Become a vocal advocate for what you’re passionate about
• Prepare your 3-30 speech
• Develop and communicate your personal brand
• Get out there and put a tremendous amount of energy behind what you love

Lastly, develop your plan, act on it, and begin living the life you’ve always wanted. Come on. You’re a creative professional. Think outside the cubical.

“Don’t dream your life. Live your dream!” - Anonymous

Join me in sharing your passion and how you’re making it a way of life. Comment below.

Ciao!

Becky