Why Passion Doesn’t Equal Ambition

Abstract:

I can’t get out of my skin. Everyone I meet, I tend to ask sooner or later: “What’s your passion?”

One time, a guy I asked this question, answered that his passion was to become successful with his business. I gently suggested he might be mixing up ambition and passion. He said that to him, they were the same thing.

Your mission today is to learn not to confuse passion and ambition.

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Task 1: Learn the difference between passion and ambition

Without a doubt, my acquaintance is determined to become successful. But does that mean the business is his passion, or one of his passions? No. It doesn’t meet the criteria.

What criteria? There aren’t all that many:

1. A passion lights you up.

2. A passion doesn’t depend on anyone else’s approval; it’s yours alone

You see where “success in business” doesn’t fit: It’s dependent on other people. If nobody wants to buy your product or service, you won’t be successful in business.

Task 2: How do you use this knowledge?

There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, or being passionate about one’s work. Usually when that’s the case, the work itself is a passion.

You could be a crafter, and your business is selling your crafts at markets or online. This might be genuinely enjoyable; and yet, enjoying your work doesn’t make it a passion. The passion is crafting. It’s separate from the business side of things, making things to order, dealing with administration, refunds, worries.

It's impossible to overstate how important this distinction is. People ruin their passions and stop doing what they love because it’s become tainted in their eyes. They associate it with hustle and strive and unsavoury things.

If you want to go into business doing something you love, go for it, but always protect your passion. Keep part of it only for yourself, to have fun with, without thought of profits. Don’t ever let mundane worries steal your passion.