or…
Pull Your Face off the Desk, Wipe the Drool Off Your Chin and Get the Hell Out of There as Fast as You Can!
You know the scene in the movie where the guy falls asleep in class and has his cheek lying in a small pool of drool; kinda gross but seriously funny too? Do you ever feel like that guy? Falling asleep unknowingly from the absolute mind numbing boredom of the everday routine so many of us find our selves in. You wake up one day, drool all over your face, hair in disarray and you look around and realize you have no clue what just happened. I know I have… on more than one occassion.
Blogging can feel just like that. One day you realize, damn I haven’t posted anything for over a month. What the heck was the point of this whole thing anyway? I’m over it!
With that I give you, Question #1: What excites you?
A lot of people refer to this as “finding your passion.” But I believe you have to be a little more selective than that. What excites you? Think about it for a minute or two. What is it that gets your blood racing a little faster when you start talking or when somone happens to ask you a question about it and you just can’t seem to shutup? That’s what I’m talkin about! You need to find something that you absolutely love talking about.
Passion is great, but I’ve met a lot of people who claim to be “passionate” about something and still have yet to act on that passion. It’s almost a trendy sort of response to a modern day cliché.
No disrespect by any means, but when people start talking about passion suddenly visions of slightly hazed studio lighting fill my mind, a quaint little violin sonata plays in the background as rose petals gently glide across a perfectly green patch of grass next to the most amazing oak tree you’ve ever seen. Suddenly I find myself murmuring “I can’t believe it’s not butter.” I don’t know about you but my face almost slammed back into the desk again.
If you’ve ever participated in a workshop or seminar that focuses on self improvement in one form or another then you are well versed in writing your goals and “finding your passion.” Even better is the wildly popular “visioning” process that is sweeping the nation after the release of The Secret. (this is totally a fad by the way and will pass just like that crazy internet thing). At some point the question is posed to you, “What are you passionate about?”
Answering that question is supposed to spark, say it with me… “excitement” deep within your core and motivate you to take action. In the style of one of my favorite authors, Tim Ferriss, why not cut to the chase and make the process more efficient in order to gain the desired outcome quicker? Why not start with the end in mind and work backwards from there. At least in my mind it makes a whole lot more sense and is infinitely more productive. People in our day and age simply do not think in terms of passion; they want results and they want them now.
Maybe I’m wrong, but how many times have you been in that seminar all revved up, passion driven goals written down and you can’t wait to get home and get to work? Do you know where that notebook is? When is the last time you read it? How many of those goals did you compete? I know I probably have at least 3 or 4 of those in a box “filed” in my office.
So my point is find something that really truly gets you excited EVRY TIME you think about it. You’ll know what it is. When it gets in your head you’ll crack a smile, sit up a little straighter, speak a little more confidently and not surprisingly, you probably know quite a bit about the topic. Any ideas yet?
I’ll leave you with a couple of simple steps you can take to get you on your way.
1. Get a notebook and your favorite pen and write down every idea that comes to mind; something you can comfortably carry around with you. This is critical. First if you’re uncomfortable keeping it with you you’ll leave it at home and when you have one of those “ah hah” moments at the office or getting coffee and you risk having it fade before you get home. You could email it to your self, but there is profound merit to getting in the habit of writing things down. More on that later.
2. Ask your friends and family what you’re good at. This one is simple. Also look for patterns in your circle. Do your friends and family always seem to call you when they need help with “X?”
Start with those 2 things and you’ll be ahead of the game. I hope you take something from this and put it to use. Leave your comments below if you feel like sharing your thoughts.
Until next time… Cheers!
~Richard
+ Richard Bravo