An excerpt
"In the frenzy of marketers drowning the web in their ultra-proofed and overly refined messages, there is something that is severely lacking: passion. And, passion is the largest driver motivating people to produce, share and remix content online.
What motivates someone to share her recipes with the world every day? What motivates a tech blogger to write about the latest gadget? What motivates a web guru to talk about the latest startup or e-commerce site? Simple – it is pure and raw passion for the subject matter."
Why, really, does passion matter?
One of my favourite authors, Ayn Rand wrote a huge tome about this particular subject - Atlas Shrugged. She talked about "the role of man's mind in existence" as well attempted to showcase how the world needs 'prime movers'.
In other words, what both the writers above had touched was - Passion. Pure. Simple. Engaging. And one of the great 'oils' that move many a human to go beyond what could be called the ordinary. The pursuit of excellence, as it were.
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| image credit: Shutterstock |
Many of us out here, have at some point or the other, conducted interviews to select a person for a particular post. Beyond all the regular questions, is the mind's eye trying to discern how passionate a worker will the interviewee be.
Passion matters a lot. Most people are passionate about one thing or the other. Sometimes, many things, sometimes just one. Maybe it was running hard to be the first in that school race, maybe it was the attempt to get out of a vicious economic circle, maybe it was trying to create a better product, maybe it was the attempt at being self-sustained, maybe it was bringing up kids. Whatever may have been the cause, at some point or the other we all have experimented and quite often stayed passionate about something that so truly engaged us.
Passionate worker or Workaholic?
How do we differentiate between a passionate worker and a workaholic? The true difference is that passionate work does not let us drop dead or destroy ourselves in the process of creating a superior output - be it a work of art or simply greater quality of service. And, not to forget, it is not being passionate about the company we work in, it is being passionate about our profession.
Having been exposed to the advertising industry for a bit now, I have seen some of the most passionate people engaged in creating, debating, fighting, and finding solutions to many a normally insurmountable problem. It never is about how late you stay at work. It is about when you go to sleep, having either the satisfaction - I did the best I could or having the dissatisfaction - I can do better and future action - I will make it better.
How do we differentiate between a passionate worker and a workaholic? The true difference is that passionate work does not let us drop dead or destroy ourselves in the process of creating a superior output - be it a work of art or simply greater quality of service. And, not to forget, it is not being passionate about the company we work in, it is being passionate about our profession.
Having been exposed to the advertising industry for a bit now, I have seen some of the most passionate people engaged in creating, debating, fighting, and finding solutions to many a normally insurmountable problem. It never is about how late you stay at work. It is about when you go to sleep, having either the satisfaction - I did the best I could or having the dissatisfaction - I can do better and future action - I will make it better.
Passion breeds value
Ideas are quite often the base and cornerstone of innovation, evolution and that edge which differentiates us and lets us lead. For a bit, at least. When you are passionate about something, working hard and coming up with fruitful ideas is easier. And with great ideas come great rewards. A virtuous cycle instead. Now imagine, harnessing this power multiplied by the number of employees working together in an organisation. This is what successful companies like Apple, Canon and Singapore Airlines, to name a few, have done.
Yet for every one of these smart companies, there are thousands out there who do not even begin to realise how important it is to have passionate and motivated people working in harmony to take the organisation to extremely high levels of achievements including profits. This is sadly true of most Governments that I have been exposed, not all though. I do believe firmly in the profit principle. Passion should be rewarded. And usually is. Not because of anything else, but simply the response that we the consumers and customers show to the ideas and product emerging from such hubs of excellence. For it remains a fact that all a customer has to do is go and spend her/his money and attention elsewhere to bring down a company or for that matter an economy.
This blogger's passion
I do love to share my thoughts, opinions and emotions. While this medium does not have the same level of interactivity that a face-to-face opportunity brings, it still has enough for you to let me know what you think about whatever I express through these blog posts.
This particular post is purely a random thought process that I decided to pen down. The Culture, Cuisine, Customs that Travel lets me experience, forms one of those passions of mine and as seen before in the Hong Kong series, there is another series about a different trip to a different continent - coming up. So be on the lookout here and do feel free to express your opinion at any stage, as I do value your feedback.
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