Leadership Gold Part 3 of 10: Passion
February 18, 2009 by dr. lam
This is not the first time I have talked about passion and it certainly won’t be my last. Passion underscores everything that I do, and everything that I stand for. I had a hair transplant consultation last year with a gentleman who asked me, “Why are you better?” It took me about 30 minutes to go through the artistry, the way that I harvest the hair, not outsourcing a team, how I protect the tissues, etc. But I said, “I can summarize it in one word, passion.” That is why I’m different. People know that the moment they meet me. And if they don’t, they will when they finish talking with me.
I like to say that when you chase money, money will leave. When you chase your passion, money will come. There was a study that looked at 1,500 business-school graduates between 1960 to 1980 and they divided the group into those who followed their passion at all expense and those who wanted to make money then be able to use that money to chase what they wanted. Twenty years later, there were 301 millionaires from the original group. Out of the 301, 300 attained their wealth through chasing their passion at all cost. One attained his wealth by chasing money first.
When you are beset with problems all around you, the only thing that will stand the test of time is passion. Passion will drive you through the hard times and carry you over the good times. It will help all those around you carry that same passion. It is infectious. Maxwell says he has never seen a leader who was not passionate about what he or she did. Passion must be the starting point and the defining point of everything you seek.
Maxwell says find something that you would do even without compensation, then go and pursue that passion. (Obviously, get paid for it.) The easiest way to find a work you like is not to work a day in your life because every day at work should be fun and enjoyable. It should not be work. If it is work, it is not your passion. It should be your passion and underscore everything you are and you do. I am a passionate person, and if you have no passion in your life, it is much harder for me to relate to you. If you don’t have a passion, find your life’s passion, then live it!
Comments
8 Responses to “Leadership Gold Part 3 of 10: Passion”
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
Work & Fun?! Whew, that’s hard to contemplate!…lol I used to think the solution to a boring day at work was to pretend like it was fun, and I am great at faking it, but I going to work on developing my passion and going from there. Great advice!!!
Dr. Lam, I actually think that you relate to people that don’t appear to have passion, better than you think.
By encouraging people to find their inner passions, you are in a sense relating to them. Everyone has passion, some more than others, and some may have passion that is not being fully utilized due to a road block, but it is nonetheless still there. I really don’t think there is anyone out there that doesn’t have some form of passion.
thanks heather. yes, you are right. i relate to most people in life. when i mean that i don’t relate to people without passion, i mean more specifically it is hard for me to talk with people that don’t like something or are innately positive. i attract patients who are inherently positive and those who are inherently negative do not become my patients by their own volition. i have told this story before: i had a patient who asked emina, my hair transplant coordinator, “Is Dr. Lam coming in here to see me?” She said, “Of course, why?” He said, “Well, he is just so positive. I don’t want to see him.” I think that is funny! We attract what we want. I’ll be talking about that in 2 weeks! thanks again for your comments. really really appreciated. ;> (experimenting with emoticons)
Golly! That guy that didn’t want you to do his hair transplant, obviously had some ego issues! He was probably jealous! :^)
actually, this is several months after his hair transplant. his before and afters are on my hair site, hairtx.com. he just liked to live in a negative state.
For some reason that comment really hit my funny bone! LOL
I guess losing his hair must have been an emotionally traumatic experience for him..lol
yes. glad i could make you laugh! thanks again for the wonderful comments.
I do have to give my two cents, of course:)
I have often wondered about that word “passion”. What makes a person truly passionate? I know people who claim to be passionate about this and that, but these “passions” are often short-lived. To me, that’s not really being passionate.
I am a more reserved person myself, but consider myself passionate about certain things – although it may not show overtly as much. Does that make me a less passionate person? I don’t think so.
passion is very hard to define. you know it when you see it. i think we all can have life’s passions whether it be work or family related. mine at this time is all work but that is not always good either. seeking balance is also an important attribute. here’s to everyone finding their own life’s passions!