Running a business can be draining, and It’s essential to keep your passion alive to fuel your purpose.
Use these strategies consistently to feed the flames:
- Keep in mind that success breeds more success. Celebrate your small victories. Build momentum. Share your achievements with others who appreciate your work and purpose. Please make a list and mark each step as you complete it.
- Find your tribe. If others are doing similar work, either locally or online, connect with them. Nothing is more stimulating than engaging with people with a shared mission supporting each other. This engagement leads to more passion. Even a bit of healthy competition can be a good thing.
- Revisit your goal and action steps to assess your progress. Remind yourself of the journey when it seems to take forever to complete a step toward your goal. Sometimes chunking the steps into even smaller elements to feel more progress helps. Seeing your progress can be powerful, so create a clear path with reasonable steps and measure your progress.
- Goals and actions should be a stretch but attainable. An impossible goal will deflate you fast! Ensure your action steps are not too ambitious. If necessary, break them into smaller pieces that can be easily attained. We want to stretch, but action steps should be within reach.
- Find external reminders of why you do what you do. Live with purpose! Call, email, or visit someone who benefits from your mission or someone who could benefit. Seeing or talking to others who want what you offer confirms your mission and rekindles the passion for succeeding.
- Stay up-to-date on the success of those who do similar work. When one person or group succeeds, it often opens doors for others. Set up Google alerts to get notified about your topic of interest or read the blogs and newsletters of others with a similar mission. Celebrate their progress, as well.
- Remember to feed the body and soul right. To keep a sharp focus and sound mind, it’s essential to tend to your body and soul. Remember to eat, sleep, and move, so you have the physical energy to stay the course. Replenish your soul in any way that works for you – do it regularly.
A book that turns conventional thinking on its head and advocates focusing your life on passion the right way is The Passion Paradox by Brad Stulberg. Backed by research and real-life examples, you will better understand the risks and rewards of living a passion-driven life.