by Hank TrislerA number of years ago I began a correspond-
ence with Howard, a young man who had bought No Bull Selling and wrote for clarification on some issues. I've enjoyed our little chats, as Howard often asks thought-provoking questions.
ence with Howard, a young man who had bought No Bull Selling and wrote for clarification on some issues. I've enjoyed our little chats, as Howard often asks thought-provoking questions.
Recently, the company for which Howard had been working shut down his sales office and gave him the Rubber Key. This gives him an opportunity for a career adjustment and Howard is facing that opportunity with characteristic introspection. Appearing below is a message he sent me this afternoon. I'm hoping you will give him some important insights and enlighten me, as well.
Hank,
Many super successful people say that you should follow your passion when selecting your career. Here are a few examples:
"If you want to make a lot of money go to Wall Street. More importantly though, do what you would do for free. Having passion for what you do is the most important thing. I love what I do." - Warren Buffett
"I'm a firm believer that you need to love what you're doing to be successful at it. Passion is a must for great success." - Donald Trump
"This life lesson, which first clicked for me at age twenty-eight and has continued to show up at various crossroads since that time, is that there is no Plan B for passion. Do what you love and love what you do. Plan A has to come first. Besides, Plan B sucks!" - Chris Gardner
On the other hand, you have someone like Larry Winget who says:
"Passion is a load of crap. I know many passionate people. They are passionately stupid, passionately wrong and passionately incompetent. Passion and success have about as much to do with each other as gravy and Raisin Bran. But this is the trash being dumped on us by the ill-informed motivational idiots who know little about true success but are quick to tell you how to achieve it. No business ever makes it based on passion. No successful business person every made it to the top based on passion."
Wow, talk about opposite extremes! What do you make of that? Who's right? In my job search, should I only accept a position if I'm "passionate" about it, or should I accept a "good" job when I find one and focus on making a living for my family? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks,
Howard
Now, I don't know Larry Winget, but he strikes me as a brass-bound idiot. I can think of few outlooks as bleak as facing a long life doing something about which I feel no passion.
What do you think?
Posts
Hank: In a perfect world, we would all be passionate about our chosen profession since we devote so many waking hours to its pursuit. But multi-dimensional reality intrudes in our lives and we most often settle for something that hopefully fulfills us, hopefully makes full use of our talents, hopefully meets our material needs. Johnny Carson often said he was so fortunate in being able to have a career doing something he absolutely loved. But he was the exception, not the rule. Nothing wrong with pursuing our passions in life, just be prepared for reality rewarding us with something less than complete fulfillment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your extremely relevant thoughts, Anonymous. In the future, we can probably have better conversations if I know to whom I'm speaking. Just sayin...
ReplyDeleteI think that Larry Winget's message was filled with passion. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteThe more I love what I do the more successful I am at it.
I believe that you should try to find passion in what you do..... or passionately find something else to do.
Hank there are two sides to this question.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a business owner passion is a must. If you are not passionate about what you do than how do you expect to do your best and how do you expect others to believe in what you do.
On the other side; if you are an employee that has the skills to do a job that supports your family and lifestyle you do not necessarily need the passion to go with it. Some people can do their jobs really well without passion.
Erika Glem
Ole Hen:
ReplyDeleteIn my view, passion is the by-product of wanting to achieve something, and wanting it so intensely that no obstacle is insurmountable and no price to high to pay.
That desire may lead to something good or something bad, but it will not preserve the status quo.
Wanting (i.e., passion)is the engine that drives change; without it, the chances that you'll change are slim to none - almost certainly the latter.
Success means minimizing the gap between your potential and your achievement - both of these measurements as YOU see them.
Joe Klock, Sr. (joeklock@aol.com)
Passion is one of those overworked words we have laying around the place these days. The photo at the top of your article is case in point. Yes, it is wonderful when a man and woman have a passion for each other. However, there is such a thing as making a living and keeping the house that must be done as well. Whenever I see the word passion in these articles from the gurus, I substitute it with "something I really enjoy" or "this really makes sense to me." You might want to read Chris Lytle's "Accidental Salesperson." Even if you are not in your "passionate" career, you can still have a great time making an adequate living while you enjoy the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteHello Hank,
ReplyDeleteI think if someone's goal and main objective in life is (...so poor that all he/she wants is ...) to be there on top (business wise speaking)... then passion will not take you there. You will need more than just passion, I guess (I can not assure it because I have never reached up there!).
However, I would say we (normal human beings) love to put some passion in all we daily do. And if we find a job where we are allowed to put some passion on, or a job where we can create some passion from (even if we are not allowed to enjoy passion), then at least you have one more reason to go to work everyday.
But passion ... passion is your wife, your chidren, your family, your friends, your life ...
Enjoy the weekend!
Juan
Hi Hank,
ReplyDeleteI guess you need something else than passion to reach up there ... why would I be down so low otherwise?
But I also think passion makes us be there everyday, fighting, surviving, improving...
In our jobs, we need to have some kind of passion. If the job does not offer passion to you, create it!
Enjoy the weekend ... with some passion!
Juan
Hank,
ReplyDeleteA country song says: "There's nothing cold as ashes, after the fire is gone."
Passion thrills, but also scares me. It thrills because it is motivational and allows me to drive to great success over the short term in activities I love. It scares me because it passes. My long relationships include my marriage to bride Cindy (35 yrs this coming Tuesday) and my employement with Edward Jones (26 yrs now). These are permanent fixtures in my life, and they are far more important than any short term thrill that might come from sinking a 30 foot putt or getting a standing ovation after playing a song on my guitar. Because they are so very serious, I don't let them fall prey to the post-passion blues. I've disciplined myself to get done what needs to be done, and in the long run the results are wonderful. Often I've remembered a girl I went steady with in high school for a while, I wept when we broke up, but in retrospect, we would have been miserable together married. Passion caused me pain then, and might have caused me lots of pain. Circumscribing passion is a good thing.
As a serial hobbyist, I allow my passion to express itself in sailing, ham radio, music (classica, bluegrass, jazz), and other things which last about 5 years, and they I move on to someting else.
Bottom line: passion for me is a double edged sword with which I am very careful.
Enthusiasm...now that is the key to my success in my marriage, Jones and my hobbies. Enthusiasm trumps passion, I think.
Dave Skinner, Texas
WOW! What a really interesting assortment of thoughts, sports fans. I surely agree that Larry Winget is passionate, though that hadn't occurred to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tool this is for us all to learn from one another. Thanks for your inputs.
Hank
Communication is bad at best. The word passion conjures many different meetings.
ReplyDeleteThis I have discovered in life. Ego drives us . Attitude steers us.
Hank,
ReplyDeleteAlthough having a passion for what you do is a very good and desirable thing, I believe that the most important factor in being successful is having a passion for achieving the intended results of your efforts.
Dave Doeleman
Thanks, Dave. I know what you had to go through to get your comment posted and I appreciate your passion.
ReplyDeleteHank