Pursue The Passion Or Fill The Need?
The answer to this dilemma becomes more clear once you ask yourself the simple question, “Which do I value most?”
No one can decide this for you. In fact, I would bet that you already know the answer. Sometimes, it may not be the answer you like the most. Other times, it’s the answer you never expected. But, just in case you are in need of making this decision, here are a few “need to knows”.
My choice is always to follow the passion.
Passion has several undeniable characteristics, it is:
- a motivator
- a driver
- a manager
- a decision maker
Should you choose to forfeit the passionate route and decide to “fill a need”, understand that attempting to fill a need without passion will burn you out, plain and simple. The point that I am trying to make is that your passions are what drive you. They are the earmarks in your book giving you easy access to important highlighted things you need to refer back to. Plus, passion is the thing you love to do, no matter what the circumstances are.
The best part about passion is the investment made. Because you are so involved in that area of business, the likelihood of finding a fillable need significantly increases. Why? Because you are completely invested and understand the ins-and-outs which provide a unique perspective compared to others. For the simple reason that you are spending more time than the average person in this sector, you have adapted your eyes to see through a different lens than everyone else can. So in the end, no matter what, you have a heightened sense to identify faults in areas which need attention.
It is easier to find and fill a need through passion than it is to find and fill and need you are not passionate about.
How to know if you are passionate about it.
- Conversation. In almost any conversation you find a way to introduce what you are passionate about. With friends, family, coworkers, whoever, you’ll automatically figure out how to segway into that topic.
- Sleep, what is sleep? Losing sleep over this passion is no big deal. Think of the blockbuster movie, “The Social Network” and how the main character forgets about sleep in order to get his goals accomplished. Passion has this innate ability to help you lose track of time in pursuit of the goal.
- Money. It is no longer your motivator. It is understood that you need it in order to survive personally and in business. However, you also know that if you plan correctly, then the money will flow through your passion no matter what.
Lastly, I want to send you off with this. Do not confuse passion with infatuation. Infatuation feels like passion, but only for a limited time. So, if you feel like you are passionate about starting a specific business, take your time. The last thing you want to do is spend tons of money and time on something you will quickly lose interest in.
We are sure that you have thoughts regarding passion vs. filling a need and we want to hear them. Let’s continue this conversation, what are your thoughts?
