PassionKey newsletter

About Curt

Client Stories
& Testimonials

Events/Speaking

Jobs

Resources

Public Service Announcements

Contact

    PassionKey Newsletter

September, 2003 -- "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain -- Don't go solo: Make your passion pursuit a team effort In dozens of interviews I've done with people who have pursued their passions in their careers, the single most commonly mentioned success factor has been the importance of outside support. Whatever form it takes - emotional support, a belief that they can do it, knowledge, motivation, etc. - that external influence can have an enormous impact. Luckily most people have an inherent willingness - desire even - to be a part of that. Richard Tait, co-founder and Grand Poo Bah of the game company Cranium (and one of the most passionate people I have ever met), sums it up nicely. "Have the confidence and belief that people want you to be happy," he says. "Finding your passion is a good thing. Embrace it, and move forward with confidence that there are people around you who can give you that support infrastructure. Other people, they want you to be happy. They want you to succeed." Pursuing your passion means getting off the treadmill of the expected path and blazing the trail that's right for *you*. Sometimes that can feel a bit like swimming against the stream. Friends and family can offer a tremendous emotional support system to keep you going, reminding you of what you’re doing and why, and reinforcing the belief that you can. Your colleagues can play an invaluable role as well, providing you with a fountain of knowledge, motivation, and plain old forward motion. For travel photographer/writer Alison Wright, it's about the Buddhist concept of having a sangha, a community of like-minded people. "Most of my friends are creative writers and photographers," she notes, "so our life is not about impressing each other with our cars so much as it is about our quality of life and our creative output." In my own journey, I have been truly blessed by the people who have reached out with support, emotional as well as insights and inspiration. I definitely couldn’t have come this far without it. Take a look around you and make a list. Who is already part of your support team? Who could be? Do they know? If not, take a minute and bring them into the picture. Tell them what you’re doing, and how they can support you. The rewards from your journey down the passion path can be enormous. Your support team can help you make that dream a reality. -- Try this! Want to get a new perspective on your career? Try getting away! We often get caught in a rut, with the same surroundings, the same habits, and the same structure. Getting out of town for some dedicated self-exploration can be an excellent way to counter that. Bernice Notenboom, owner of Moki Treks and reporter for NPR's Savvy Traveler suggests, "Get away from what it is that blocks you. Physically, go someplace else. Remove yourself from whatever the rut is that you’re in. It’s so easy to get sucked into the same old routine. It’s helpful to be physically removed from this environment, because you do look at things very differently. You come back with a new set of glasses." -- Ask the Passion Catalyst! Q: I know what I want to do, but it just seems too overwhelming, so I end up staying put. What should I do? A: Baby steps! Baby steps! Baby steps! (Did I mention baby steps?!) You can go so much farther taking baby steps than sitting and waiting for the time to be right and taking a giant leap. Take a look at where you want to go and spend some time mapping out some possible ways to get there. What are some small steps you could take to start heading in that direction? It could be as simple as doing some reasearch, or taking a class, or getting involved in an organization that will let you start meeting the kinds of people you need to know to make your dream reality. After you take one baby step, then take another. And another. One of my long-term goals is to do week-long passion pursuit seminars in different locations around the world. When I first started out, that seemed wayyyyyy too scary. I had never done a seminar, and didn't have clue one about how to go about it. I kept breaking down steps I could take until I found one that felt do-able. I started doing passion pursuit roundtables, getting together with small groups of people over lunch and facilitating discussion around pursuing one's passions in one's career. The long-term picture caused paralysis. Finding the baby step that felt within reach let me move forward and build on what I learned. -- Let me help you identify your passions and create a career that lights your fire. Interested, but can't decide? Try a FREE half-hour trial session! More info here.