Why Finding Your Passion Is Key To Career And Business Success

In the words of the great American writer Mark Twain: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” It’s pretty apparent that writing was a passion for Twain. But he tried his hand at a few different careers before he found it, including typesetter and riverboat pilot.

I have a passion for helping build leaders and brands, and I’ve been a bit of a serial entrepreneur to pursue it. I take every lesson learned, internalize it, and find ways to share it with others for their benefit. Besides my family, nothing gives me more joy than my livelihood. In the process, it has also rewarded me with success.

Who doesn’t want to go to work every day loaded with enthusiasm and excitement about what they’re going to get to do? That kind of fulfillment is more valuable than money for most people. Here’s why you should find your passion and use it to build professional success.

Passion Helps You Find Your Tribe

Whatever your passion is, it’s shared by others. The trick is finding those people to help you build a career around that passion. It’s always easier to move ahead and find success in numbers. Just recognize that you may find them in unexpected places.

Case in point are Ryan Seaman and Brian Murphy, co-founders of functional food company Living Prana. I found out about this duo when searching for healthy foods that would boost my energy and brain function. Their products are getting good traction, but it’s their story that illustrates the impact of tapping into passion and purpose to fuel professional success.

Ryan’s the health guru, a holistic healthcare practitioner for over twenty years and is dedicated to supporting others after serious mold toxicity nearly claimed his life. Brian’s the finance guy, a strategist and investor, but one who also became passionate about transforming his health, increasing his energy, and restoring his confidence. A shared passion for superfoods and optimizing health unfolded after meeting serendipitously at a retreat in Hawaii. They recognized a unique opportunity to steward a business that could make a greater impact on the health of humanity and our planet. While Ryan created the original recipes for their flagship superfood pancakes years prior, this shared passion was the spark that ignited Living Prana from dream to reality. The complement of the strengths and passion can set a company up for success. In each of my businesses I’ve been lucky to find similar situations where there’s complementary skill sets and passions, which has increased my chances of success.

Passion may be the common denominator among people, even if they have little in common otherwise. Find those who share yours, and you’ll find a tribe that can help you achieve your goals.

Passion Helps You Take Chances

Maybe it’s because I have two daughters that I think a lot about gender roles and glass ceilings. I encourage them to be whatever they want to be. At the same time, I recognize that some choices they make will have easier paths than others.

Of course, the chance that the next president of the country may be a woman is top of mind right now. But there are others who have persisted on those more challenging routes to success. Hannah Storm, for example, is the first woman to anchor ESPN SportsCenter. She loves sports and is passionate about broadcasting and filmmaking. She didn’t get where she is now by playing it safe.

On a recent episode of her NBA DNA podcast, Hannah talked about taking chances to pursue your passion. In her first full-time television role in Charlotte, she was assigned to cover NASCAR. It was something she knew nothing about. But if she wanted to achieve success in her field, she knew she had to learn everything she could about the sport, embrace the opportunity to cover it, and smash it out of the park.

Sometimes, pursuing a passion could be a side hustle that turns into something more. Other times, you know where you want to be and find a way to fulfill it in the career you’ve chosen. Either way, you have to be willing to take chances to get where you want to be. No risk, no reward.

Passion Is the Ultimate Motivator

If what you’re passionate about isn’t part and parcel of your job, it can be tough to show up every day. By the end of my career, I will have spent a significant portion of my life working. It’s too much time to not thoroughly enjoy what I do. And it’s passion that fuels my motivation to succeed.

Motivation drives productivity, which leads to success. If you’re invested in your work, your motivation won’t wane, even during those notorious summer doldrums. Your passion keeps you energized, and that energy makes you more innovative, creative, and able to tackle problems head-on.

Motivation can be difficult to find when times are hard. Consider Steve Jobs who found success quickly then found himself booted from the helm of his company not long after. But he was passionate about using technology to improve the human condition. That’s where he found his motivation to fight for his return to Apple.

Everyone will experience failures throughout their careers. But you have to find the motivation to get back up, dust yourself off, and get back into it. Passion is your path.

Bring Your Passion to Work

Professional passion isn’t for the faint hearted. It takes courage, resolve, and focus to clock in with it every day. But if you apply it well, your work will fulfill you on a deeper level than perks like a hefty raise or starting your own business. Passion just may be the key to the corner office.