Do NOT Follow Your Passion When Starting Your Business
There are many business coaches and internet marketing gurus out there who will tell you to follow your passion when you’re just starting out.
What do you like to do in your spare time? That’s the usual question you hear, isn’t it?
They argue that without passion you will have a hard time following through on your idea or business, or that with so many people in the world there will likely be someone who shares the same interests.
While that does make sense and sounds logically. They are WRONG!
Remember your first passion
Think back to when you started being passionate about something.
How did you get started? Were you passionate about that certain something before you started?
No. How could you? You didn’t yet know how it feels to practice that hobby or to live in that new world.
Usually, you have an interest, because you saw, heard, or felt something that intrigued you. Then you gave it a shot. You tried it to see if you were any good at it and if it would come naturally to you. If you were making progress at it, then it turned into a passion. And only then.
Passion turns into hatred
When you start a new hobby and give something new a try and you fail. I don’t mean you falling off a bike or something.
I mean when you give it your all and you just don’t have it in you. There is no flow. It doesn’t make you feel good necessarily. You don’t make any progress and every time you do it, it feels like every cell in your body is swimming upstream. You are no good at it, plain and simple.
How big are the chances you keep at it? Do you even have a reason to keep doing it?
Let me rephrase that question: Are you passionate about it?
No. You absolutely and utterly hate what you are doing and will eventually quit.
Passion arises from your inner self
But when you and that hobby are becoming one. Then you are very, very passionate about it.
You basically want to throw everything else in your life aside and just do that. From the second you wake up to the minute you lay down in your bed at night.
That’s how you turn an interest into a passion. By getting a positive feedback. A positive result.
Business equals passion
You might wonder how does my business fit into that equation about turning an interest into a passion.
Well my friend and aspiring entrepreneur, it turns out that you might be passionate about something that you might not even have heard of yet.
Let’s look at myself for a second. Aside from other ventures I have an online store that sells cosmetics. I can assure you that I am not the type that uses mascara, eye shadow, or any other product from my stock. Admittedly, maybe a good hydrating serum for my face (hey, you can’t blame a guy for wanting fresh and soft skin).
But as our business grew our interest in it grew exponentially alongside it.
Yes, you read that correctly. So, let me iterate. My interest in my business grew exponentially along with the growth of the actual business.
How to find your passion in business
So that begs the question: How do you find your passion?
You start a business around a need that is already there in the world or a need that you might have that is currently not being met by other businesses.
It might take a while until you are successful. The greater the need for your product, the faster the success.
Listen to problems around you and problems that you yourself have.
MJ DeMarco wrote in his book The Millionaire Fastlane about finding problems that need solving and he has also a very strong opinion about following or rather not following your passion. I can highly recommend it if you need a little inspiration. I have read it myself multiple times now and his writing style and honesty is very refreshing.
In the beginning it will be hard not to quit. But trust me, once you have even the tiniest bit of success, you will fall in love with your business and it will turn into your passion.
And before you know it you are actually doing something that you are passionate about. Your passion is not necessarily a business, but your business might well turn into your passion.
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