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The Payoff Principle: On Passion

Once you’ve decided to live a life of purpose and on purpose, you need the power of passion to ignite that purpose. What is passion? The Urban Dictionary says “Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind, body and soul into something as is possible.”

In Dr. Alan Zimmerman’s book, The Payoff Principle, the power of passion (Purpose + Passion + Process = Payoff) is the ingredient necessary to excite you so that you are motivated to achieve the goals and dreams you desire. You must have the power of passion working for you. In fact, Swiss philosopher and poet Henri Frederic Amiel said “Without passion, man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”

Think of passion as your inner fire! Passion is the energy that pushes marathon runners over the finish line, that keeps developers up all night developing a new app, writers looking for the next word, and Doctors Without Borders persevering when tasks are unpleasant around the world. Having a healthy abundant passion is a key. Without it you’ll run out of energy long before your actions yield the desired result.

Zig Ziglar said, “When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that’s when passion is born.” Stop searching for passion in some external explanation or proof, and promise yourself that you will choose to work on what fires you up inside. Once you make that choice, passion is born.

After passion born, however, how do you keep the fire going? Dr. Zimmerman explores three components needed for the fire to burn and produce ignited passion.

1. Attitude – A fire needs something to burn and attitude represents the fuel in the fire of passion. Your attitude—your positive attitude—is the fuel needed to ignite the fire. Without an “I can” attitude, the fire dies and the passion goes away. How does your attitude show up in your life on a daily basis? You are in charge of your attitude and how it serves you in every aspect of your life.

2. Persistence – To keep a fire burning, oxygen is needed, and persistence is the oxygen in the fire of passion. Persistence is absolutely necessary to get the payoffs you desire. Vince Lombardi noted, “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” Persistence is the tenacity to keep going, to preserve in the face of obstacles and accomplish your dreams and desires, achieving the life you envisioned. Have you developed persistence to overcome resistance? Do you go the extra mile in all you do?

3. Character – All fires need to be contained and this is true with the fire of passion. Without a fire ring of character to contain and guide the fire, the fire can burn out of control, and relationships, reputations, and lives can be damaged. This is the tug-of-war in many corporate cultures between sales and compliance. Benjamin Franklin said, “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” Do you have a fire ring holding the reins of your passion? Are you staying between the lines and acting out of character in your business and personal life? Have you put in place guardrails that guide your words and deeds? You have to be absolutely clear about your values and what you stand for. The content and expression of your character is your choice. Choose wisely and it becomes easy to do the right thing, which in turn delivers the payoff of trust and respect.

The power of purpose begins the journey and provides direction to the payoff of becoming a producer. The power of passion ignites the fire behind the payoff. Next, we will explore the power of process, the final of component that turns your vision and drive into reality.

What will you do today to make this happen?

For more inspirational articles from Dan Sheedy, check out Performance Thinking with Dan Sheedy here.