It’s hard to be successful without passion. Passion turns work into a labor of love. It provides intrinsic motivation and endurance. Those who are passionate about their work are fiercely committed to results.
Great leaders are passionate about their cause. The teams they inspire will move mountains. Without passion, hardly anyone will follow.How did George Washington’s army overcome the Red Coats in the American Revolution? The Red Coats were well-funded, well-trained, and well-armed. Yet they failed. The ragtag American army, on the other hand, had passion. George Washington believed in what he was fighting for, and his army was willing to fight to the death for such a noble cause.
The Wright brothers are known for inventing flight. But did you know that they were preceded by Samuel Pierpont Langley? Langley was given $50,000 by the War Department. He worked at the Smithsonian and taught at Harvard. He used these connections to hire the best scientific minds of the time. The New York Times followed his team around; the entire world was rooting for him.
The Wright brothers, on the other hand, had nothing. They had no money–the cash flows from their bicycle shop funded their efforts. The Wright brothers had no education–not a single person on their team graduated from college.
The Wright brothers only had one key advantage–passion. They truly believed that flight would change the world. They passionately pursued this objective and despite their lack of press, a team formed around them helping them pursue their cause. Together they failed over and over and over again. Passion kept them going until they finally took flight.
If you’re not passionate about what you do, it is likely that you’re not doing it very well. Step back and ask yourself why. Not only will you succeed when you find your passion, you will also find yourself living life to the fullest.