Passion and purpose go together like bread and butter in the entrepreneurial world. In my experience, if you have purpose without passion, you may well be wasting precious time and money.
Most of us nurture some ambitions, projects we might like to achieve or hobbies/pursuits we hope to partake in at some point in our future.
But, how many of us grab hold of available, accessible opportunities that may truly change our lives in a positive way, forge ahead and actually take action?
I have written past columns about starting a venture based on something you love doing and are passionate about. Some folks responded to me saying they weren’t sure at times about figuring out what they were most passionate about or how to find their true purpose.
So I thought I would tackle that issue. When I am approached by someone who wishes to speak to me about seeking investment financing for their new venture, we invariably begin the communication about their lifestyle.
If people designed a business without considering their lifestyle, you might create a profitable venture and make some money but you end up miserable because it is incompatible with your goals in life.
When we are seeking our life purpose, lifestyle design isn’t a crucial element. However, since we are exploring entrepreneurial purpose, lifestyle design is indeed crucial to building a venture that you’ll both enjoy and truly be passionate about.
For example, say you wish to spend more time with your family. Would you really be happy with a business that kept you in an office or out of town much of the time? On the flip side, if you wanted to travel the world, how well could you accomplish the goals of your venture if your presence is required?
So, get real with yourself and get clarity on your personal goals and designing your life.
Once you’ve figured out your lifestyle design, figure out next what you’re truly passionate about. Look back at your life and ask yourself when were you the happiest and what made you feel those powerful gratifying emotions?
Think about a larger life purpose as well. Many successful entrepreneurs have earned their place in our hearts and minds by setting out to make a difference in the world—their world. Is there a cause you are genuinely passionate about?
How do you know when you’ve found your true entrepreneurial purpose? Many people I have met and befriended over my journey in the entrepreneurial world have told me they experience a settling that comes over them bringing a deep sense of peace and contentment. As if they had arrived home and knew exactly what to do and how to proceed.
Success then may come as you may make decisions easier and faster once you find that passion and purpose in life for your entrepreneurial venture and you will quickly realize your life will never be the same.
Recently, I stumbled on the book called Business as Unusual, by Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop chain. In the book, Roddick states: “Dysfunction is the very essence of entrepreneurship. Potential entrepreneurs are outsiders. They are people who imagine things as they might be, not as they are, and have the drive to change the world around them.”
She believes such ingredients are passion and vision. But there is something far more visceral and almost spiritual that exists for the passionate visionary. Yes, passion and vision are essential when stepping into the entrepreneurial world, but it can also be said that purpose drives them both.
So, aspiring and existing entrepreneurs of the Okanagan, what drives you to do what you do? Sometimes it is necessity. Sometimes it is passion. But when you take a closer look, it becomes obvious that all this is driven by something more abstract that is unique and special to the human state—your purpose.
Some define a purpose as narrowly as being your goal or target, a point to aim for in reaching whatever you wish to do. But it also has deeper, wider implications.
Frankly, it is the axle around which your wheel of life revolves. Because purpose is your essential reason why. It is your motivating force, your invigorating energy, your inner fuel. Purpose is what drives you to do what you do and want to keep doing.
And that’s a very good reason for all entrepreneurs to be introspective from time to time, examining upon which their purpose lies. Simply stated, there are four ways that your purpose is unique—your purpose goes deeper; your purpose will evolve; your purpose will expand and extend itself; and your purpose will endure.
Guy Kawasaki’s fascinating book, The Art of the Start, taught me and many entrepreneurs one powerful lesson—make meaning, not money,
Thus, passion and purpose comes to life in a wonderful symbiotic fashion.
Charlie Brown says, “Don’t forget, money isn’t everything.” To which Lucy replied: “But don’t forget to make a lot of it before talking such nonsense.”
Hence, for your entrepreneurial spirit, passion is powerful, purpose is enduring. Together, they can help you move mountains and create meaning while you do.
