Passion & Audibles
It's another day in the trenches... Picture this: You are on the line of scrimmage playing professional football against some incredibly large human beings.
They want to hurt you.
You know the play. You can visualize what you need to do, and the outcome. But something else has your attention. The play you are supposed to implement has drifted into the background of your thoughts.
Instead of focusing on what you're supposed to do, you are distracted by the sound of, or waiting for, an audible. (An audible is a change of the play at the last moment by the quarterback.)
The audible is:
The idea that just came to you...
A Client "emergency..."
An employee who needs your attention...
A family matter...
That cool new...
Do you ever have a problem with focus? Here is a simple test for how focused you are:
Do you spend 2-4 hours a day doing the one thing that will grow your organization the most? If we are candid, most will admit "no." I'm not consistently there yet, but much more often this year.
If you're answer is no, then why not? Because we get distracted with our wants, our wounds, and the words of others that beat us down, berate for help, and block our ability to focus on what is truly most important.
Yet, if we just paused and reflected, we know what to do. Forget the audible! Get back on track. No excuses. We do not have time for excuses.
If you truly want to be your best, then your best time needs to be focused on what you do best that is related to your passion.
What if you lost your passion?
Here is a simple process to rediscover your passion:
- Take a break. Get away to think.
- Consider what excites you most about what you do today. Can you identify how to do more of that? If not, get advice from people who will give you the hard truth. Not people afraid to hurt your feelings.
- If nothing you are doing today really is a PASSION, then you should know what that passion is. Identify it. Cultivate it. Develop a plan to transfer your career to it.
Then do this...
"If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the person WHO THINKS THEY CAN!"
Walter D. Wintle (Quotable Quote)
Life is too short to be stuck in the Doldrums. (See geographic definition, or my favorite, from The Phantom Tollbooth.)
Avoid the audibles, unless it is protecting you from risk. Don't just find your passion, cultivate it. That's where the deepest joys and greatest laughter resides.
Enjoy the journey.
