In my line of work, I have the pleasure to talk with new and upcoming entrepreneurs. From people who have small projects; to those who want to create huge things to offer to the world.
And one of the most common questions I get is about passion. Should you be passionate about your work and what you want to do?
And my answer is always the same: No, you shouldn’t be passionate about your project, you should love your project with all your heart and soul.
You may be wondering why I go against the current. Isn’t building a business all about passion?
But passions are intense feelings, they are so strong that you can only sustain them for so long, after a while, like any other intense emotion, it fades and gives way. When you are passionate about something, but you hit the rocks too many times, that passion will turn into desperation and most people, just abandon their projects.
Instead, love is constant, it requires care. When I see people who love what they are doing, the flame doesn’t burn as hot, but it’s constant, hard to snuff out. They may hit the rocks many times, but they just dust off and keep moving forward, the bad experiences make them love their craft even more.
When you love your business, and what you offer to the world, you know that you have to work to share that feeling with the world. It’s a genuine warmth that comes with those things that you are creating for the world. And that energy permeates everything you do for your business. Not just the final product, but every little aspect of your business; even those things that you may not like as much.
I have seen too many passionate people abandon their projects over my 10 years as a freelancer. But not once have I seen someone with a genuine love for their craft quit their business.
Learn to love what you offer to the world and even the hardest days ahead will be worth it, and there will be very little that can stand in your way. Because love is aligned with who you are, and you can’t lie about it.
So whenever someone asks me if I’m passionate about web design and technology, my answer is always the same: “No, I love it.”
Are you in love with your work?