Finding Your Passion is Like Getting Married

A question tweeted by @DanSchawbel:

“Who do you think wins: The person who has the most talent or the most drive?”

Answer: “Results from the question: 90% drive over talent”

What things do you have drive for? They are the things you are passionate about! Passion rules the game. When someone gets passionate about something it shows. Their emotions and true spirit for what they are doing come through and it shows in their work whether they mean it or not. Because of this they become successful at what they do and reach the highest levels of their fields.

Where do I Start?

Find out what you are passionate about and start blogging about it! Everybody has or should have a passion and a blog for it. It’s OK if it hasn’t been defined yet but it’s time to start thinking about it. The discovery of your passion sometimes takes asking some deep questions and making some tough choices. Figure out what you want to be doing everyday and what you could not live without. It’s a lot like marriage. Everyone would love to keep their options open and think about what if there is that one night. At some point you realize this one person is what you can’t do without and it’s worth sacrificing other things. Well now it may be time to sacrifice some other activities or things you enjoy to focus on what you truly can’t do without.

Most people say they are passionate about many things. They can’t seem to pick one to start writing about. Nobody said this was easy! It takes time and asking yourself what you really do love. But also look at things from a business stand point and see if anything might fit better.

Some tips to help:

1. Do you have a business idea in one of the fields?
2. Do you find yourself complaining about the resources in one field? Complaints mean problems. Solve the problem!
3. Is one of your passions fairly new? New industries have lots of opportunities.
4. Are you better networked in one area?
5. When your friends describe you, what field do they place you in?
6. When you answer the question “What do you like? or do for fun?”. What is your first response?

There is one advantage to blogging that you won’t have with marriage. If you like fishing, hiking and mountain biking and just can’t seem to chose, its time to start an outdoor activities blog and include them all!

So I’m Blogging???

So you tied the knot, made the leap, whatever you want to call it. You decided what idea to pursue and what you will be writing about.  When you get married you end up balancing the relationship with your career and everything else you do. Well now its time to balance your blog with everything else in your life and to take it just as seriously as a marriage! This is no time to half ass things.

Basic Blogging Tips:

1. Keep it updated. An out of date blog is a worthless blog.
2. Quality content! Take your time and write like a pro.
3. Proof read everything! It’s tough enough out there don’t make silly mistakes.
4. Work on the look and feel of it. It’s not everything but make it appealing.
5. Form community by interacting! Every chance you get to engage a reader do it!
6. Leverage the blog. Its you! Just online. Take time and create a page about yourself and what you can offer people. No body is going to hire you to speak if they don’t even know you offer it
7. Always have fun! Write when you’re in the mood and the content will flow.

How Do I Keep it Going?

There will be ups and downs in every business and in every marriage. It’s time to push through and and show some guts. Don’t run at the first sign of trouble or at the first person who blasts your blog as being crap. This happens and now its only time to get better and show your are for real.

Keeping up the blogging drive:

1. Blast some music! Get pumped up to your favorite song, jump around, let loose for a few and get blogging.
2. Coffee Coffee Coffee: Nothing jump starts the engine like 2,3,4…cups of joe.
3. Go somewhere new: Try something different. Go to a new town, street, park, anything.
4. Maximize creative time: If your on a roll don’t stop at 1 post. Write 3 or 4. Then put them away for a rainy day.
5. Set goals: Don’t blog aimlessly. Set traffic or comment goals.
6. Get creative: Start using video, put on a seminar, create a picture only category – use your blog in new ways.
7. Read! Keep reading what others are writing and ideas and opinions will be sparked.

What if I’m Just Not Happy?

Divorce the b@#*%!  Here’s the beauty of blogging, you can change it with no mess. No money lost, no angry people, no court dates. Just start writing about something else. It happens and that first choice sometimes may just not work out in the end. That’s OK and either way you will have learned a lot of lessons about writing, promotion and simply running a blog.  The important thing is to give the whole process a chance before jumping ship.

Making the process smooth:

1. Make a post about the changeover. If your going to a new domain link it all up on the old site.
2. Change all of your bio’s across the web.
3. Announce it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN. Anywhere you can shout it. You will either take some old fans with you or spark some new interest and contacts in your new field.
4. NEVER just disappear. Let your followers know what’s going on. Even if your stepping away for awhile let them know and they will still respect you if you choose to return down the road.

I Don’t Think I Can Choose Just 1 Thing!?

Just like with marriage – two-timing will be fun for awhile but things will go downhill REAL fast at some point.