Passion is an incredible resource for keeping yourself fueled when times are tough. And it can feed your resilience when you hear about successful people who have followed their own passion and vision.
Zappos and Passion
Recently my mom called and insisted that I watch the latest Oprah Show episode. She said it featured an entrepreneur that talked about passion and reminded her of me. The man's name was Tony Hsieh and what he said inspired me to the core!
Here was a CEO that defied all preconceptions of a traditional corporate CEO. For example instead of having a private office Tony has a cubicle along with other employees of his company. The company is called Zappos, the No.1 online shoe store in North America.
Oprah asked Tony what the secret to success was and he simply said you've got to follow your passion. He said to keep doing what you love even it's for 10 years and don't see a dime during those years. Tony said the money will naturally follow on its own.
What Tony said hit me hard and triggered me deeply. The reason why is that I have been following my passion for a new career of motivating people with my love of movies for past 5 years and still doing my best just to cover my rent each month. Tony's words of wisdom gave me a boost of confidence to keep moving forward with my dream job.
Part of my journey has also been to document the ups and down of my career transition with this blog of 2 years. Amazingly within 6 months of starting this blog I was featured in The Washington Post as a recommended resource for motivational tips and inspiring movie examples. That is just proof that following your passions will also magnetize others to your vision.
The Secret of My Success
Tony Hsieh reminded me of a fun movie that inspired me years ago called The Secret of My Success.
It stars Michael J. Fox as Brantley a smart country boy who comes to New York City to work and find success. Unexpectedly he arrives to discover obstacles around every corner.But it was Brantley's passion, resilience and belief in himself that led him into a major corporation within the mail delivery department. From there he creatively inserts himself into the executive levels and inspires people to follow his vision for creating a better company.
Be Inspired
So be inspired every day to follow what you are passionate about. What you love doing is what you were probably born to do. And as Tony said, don't worry about the lack of money because it will eventually come.
And remember passion can attract others to your vision and mission. Passion generates positive emotional energy within you that becomes magnetic. And this positive energy is what keeps you confident, feeling good and motivated to move forward no matter what!
More tips about Zappos:
Tip#213: Zappos Inspires, Part 1 - Office Space
Tip#214: Zappos Inspires, Part 2 – Patch Adams
Tip#238: The Importance of Team Spirit - Zappos – Watchmen
Tip#261: Synchronicity Stories – Zappos & Twitter – I Heart Huckabees
Tip#374: Create Your Own Universe – Tony Hsieh’s Delivering Happiness - Inception
Emmanuel Lopez
Motivational Specialist
www.motivatorman.com
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
*NEW "MOTIVATORMAN MINUTE" VIDEO ON PASSION:
MOTIVATORMAN MINUTE VIDEO: Passion is fuel!
Motivational man you have inspired me and I can't thank you enough my friend.
ReplyDeleteGod will continue to guide you as you help people.
Aklima
Great post, Emmanuel! Yes, passion is totally necessary to keep your motivation up. If you love what you do, you can stay positive through the inevitable downs of life.
ReplyDeleteHello Emmanuel,
ReplyDeleteYour blog will be mentioned today when we send out the daily Zappos news! What an inspiring blog.
I just read it, and saw that you were featured in the Washington Post. I used to read that newspaper religiously, as that is the area that I grew up in, Northern Virginia/Washington DC.
Andrea W.
Help Desk Coordinator
Zappos