Chances are that you are already gainfully employed and are involved with other life matters. You are probably considering following both your dream of writing and owning your own business. You’ve probably
explored both, but hesitate because it really doesn’t make sense to take on another job while spending 40 hours a week of your life being miserable. So, do something you love in your professional and personal
lives. The same goes for the business you want to start.
Passion is hard to define, so I’ll draw up a scene from what got me started:
“I have a great idea that will help other people earn the certification!” I exclaimed to my wife, almost immediately after telling some great news.
“Wait a minute, let’s get back to the certification,” my wife replied, redirecting the conversation. “You passed the exam?” Her smile demonstrated how happy she had been for me.
“Thanks. Sorry about changing the subject,” I replied. “I know that you were pulling for me.” I hugged my wife one more time before continuing. “It’s just that I passed it so easily. It’s not that I’m so smart, but I
was able to find the answers so quickly and I think I can help other people do it. I can make a difference in someone’s life.”
So, exactly what is passion?
1. Conduct an inventory-For me, it was two-fold; a desire to write and a strong urge to teach. Both of these skills I had learned on the job and through discovering more about myself. Conduct a personal inventory and see what you love to do.
2. What skill, ability, or personal success really excites you-What do you just love doing that you can spend a lot of time with and you don't even watch the clock? Is it reading, helping, designing, running, creating? Find out what it is and learn to develop and teach that skill to others.
3. Develop a platform-This is the key ingredient. Become the go to person for that skill and let everyone know about it.
4. Focus on what you learned about yourself. Lack passion and lack of really knowing what I had wanted to do will hinder your dreams.
Using my example, let me continue:
I spent a lot of time developing my passion of writing. though I knew I loved writing, noone is going to be too interested in ramblings. I had to focus on a topic or skill to match my passion of writing with.
Not too long ago, I had left a lengthy career in the army. While in service, I had served in intelligence, transportation and wrapped up my career in recruiting. By far the most difficult but rewarding had been
my service as a recruiter. Tell a soldier to take a hill in the heat of battle and they’ll do it and exceed whatever standards you give. However, tell them to successfully encourage people to volunteer to leave everything
they know to become a soldier...that’s a tougher task. Army recruiting is where I learned about real marketing.
Prior to my departure from the army I had bought and read all of the books I could on marketing, sales, interviewing and resume writing. Almost everything I had read revealed the same message: Find something
you are good at and do it. Once I left the army I spent a few months pondering my future and reading more books. I enrolled in a class on how to start my own businesses. Aside from learning how to develop business plans, we heard presentations from successful business owners.
Again, the message was clear: Find something you enjoy and do it. However, this time the message hit home. I met many local business owners who poured all their efforts into something they enjoyed.
After passing that exam, I knew I could help others. I became a man on fire, writing my first best selling book in the national security genre.
Let's wrap up.
So, what gets you going?
Jeffrey W. Bennett, ISP is the owner of Red Bike Publishing. Jeff is an accomplished writer of non-fiction books, novels and periodicals. He also owns Red bike Publishing. Published books include: "Get Rich in a Niche-Insider's Guide to Self Publishing in a Specialized Industry" and "Commitment-A Novel". Jeff is an expert in security and has written many security books including: "Insider's Guide to Security Clearances" and "DoD Security Clearances and Contracts Guidebook". See Red Bike Publishing for print copies of: Army Leadership The Ranger Handbook The Army Physical Readiness Manual Drill and Ceremonies The ITAR The NISPOM
explored both, but hesitate because it really doesn’t make sense to take on another job while spending 40 hours a week of your life being miserable. So, do something you love in your professional and personal
lives. The same goes for the business you want to start.
Passion is hard to define, so I’ll draw up a scene from what got me started:
“I have a great idea that will help other people earn the certification!” I exclaimed to my wife, almost immediately after telling some great news.
“Wait a minute, let’s get back to the certification,” my wife replied, redirecting the conversation. “You passed the exam?” Her smile demonstrated how happy she had been for me.
“Thanks. Sorry about changing the subject,” I replied. “I know that you were pulling for me.” I hugged my wife one more time before continuing. “It’s just that I passed it so easily. It’s not that I’m so smart, but I
was able to find the answers so quickly and I think I can help other people do it. I can make a difference in someone’s life.”
So, exactly what is passion?
1. Conduct an inventory-For me, it was two-fold; a desire to write and a strong urge to teach. Both of these skills I had learned on the job and through discovering more about myself. Conduct a personal inventory and see what you love to do.
2. What skill, ability, or personal success really excites you-What do you just love doing that you can spend a lot of time with and you don't even watch the clock? Is it reading, helping, designing, running, creating? Find out what it is and learn to develop and teach that skill to others.
3. Develop a platform-This is the key ingredient. Become the go to person for that skill and let everyone know about it.
4. Focus on what you learned about yourself. Lack passion and lack of really knowing what I had wanted to do will hinder your dreams.
Using my example, let me continue:
I spent a lot of time developing my passion of writing. though I knew I loved writing, noone is going to be too interested in ramblings. I had to focus on a topic or skill to match my passion of writing with.
Not too long ago, I had left a lengthy career in the army. While in service, I had served in intelligence, transportation and wrapped up my career in recruiting. By far the most difficult but rewarding had been
my service as a recruiter. Tell a soldier to take a hill in the heat of battle and they’ll do it and exceed whatever standards you give. However, tell them to successfully encourage people to volunteer to leave everything
they know to become a soldier...that’s a tougher task. Army recruiting is where I learned about real marketing.
Prior to my departure from the army I had bought and read all of the books I could on marketing, sales, interviewing and resume writing. Almost everything I had read revealed the same message: Find something
you are good at and do it. Once I left the army I spent a few months pondering my future and reading more books. I enrolled in a class on how to start my own businesses. Aside from learning how to develop business plans, we heard presentations from successful business owners.
Again, the message was clear: Find something you enjoy and do it. However, this time the message hit home. I met many local business owners who poured all their efforts into something they enjoyed.
After passing that exam, I knew I could help others. I became a man on fire, writing my first best selling book in the national security genre.
Let's wrap up.
- I love writing
- I learned about marketing
- I learned about security
- I passed an exam
- I love helping others
So, what gets you going?
Jeffrey W. Bennett, ISP is the owner of Red Bike Publishing. Jeff is an accomplished writer of non-fiction books, novels and periodicals. He also owns Red bike Publishing. Published books include: "Get Rich in a Niche-Insider's Guide to Self Publishing in a Specialized Industry" and "Commitment-A Novel". Jeff is an expert in security and has written many security books including: "Insider's Guide to Security Clearances" and "DoD Security Clearances and Contracts Guidebook". See Red Bike Publishing for print copies of: Army Leadership The Ranger Handbook The Army Physical Readiness Manual Drill and Ceremonies The ITAR The NISPOM
Comments
Post a Comment