Belief, Passion, Love

Yes. I know what you’re thinking. The world doesn’t need another Elizabeth Gilbert — nor a male version at that. The title to this post may lead you to believe that this is a sappy love story about entrepreneurship. And yet to those who understand, it actually is.

Starting you’re own business is a love affair. It’s not like a love affair — it is one. From the moment you form an idea — a new way of doing things or a new thing altogether — your whole being springs to life. Your eyes widen, your heart races and your face transforms with excitement. It’s utter jubilation. Yet eventually, as always, your elation subsides and your mind begins to join your body back down on Earth. What I’ve just described is a feeling many of us have had or will experience — having an idea. What few of us — very few of us — actually do is make something happen. Those who do change things. They start something. They might not all share the same purpose or aim to achieve the same goals. Yet there are commonalities between them all: They all possess the Entrepreneurial Mindset.

Belief.

Every business on the planet knows what they do — we make furniture, we give advice, we sell computers. Some businesses know how they do it — by combining quality materials with clever design, by hiring the best trained people, by providing exceptional service. Yet few businesses know why they do what they do — In everything we do we believe in challenging the status quo, we believe in thinking differently.

This last bit is why Apple exists. Apple produces great products because it knows why it exists.

Finding your belief, no matter what you do, is crucial to having any chance of success. A belief system articulates your why and structures your purpose. It tells you which direction to follow and guides what decisions you need to make along the way. It doesn’t matter how big or how small your goals — find your belief and you are already half way there. Now you’ve found what you believe in — believe in yourself. Your belief won’t go unnoticed — if it does then you’re not doing the right things. Having a belief requires you to shout it out — to make yourself heard. You’ll be quoted, glorified and vilified — but you won’t be ignored. Lead with your heart and everyday — believe in why you do what you do.

Passion.

If belief is your guiding light in a sea of darkness, then passion is the engine driving you forward. Passion is both a conscious and unconscious necessity in business and life. We have all felt or seen it before. You ooze with excitement, exuding spades of infectious confidence about what you believe. Often, it comes naturally, riding the wave and engulfing everyone in your path. Other times, you just feel flat. Hey, we all do! That’s human nature and part and parcel of life. But remember, your organisation moves to the beat of your pulse.

Entrepreneurship is like a roller coaster and part of being successful is getting through the highs and the lows. When it feels like nothing is going your way — tap into your conscious self and remind it that your business needs you. Find that passion burning deep inside you and fan the flames. Often the best way to do that is to get out and spend time with people — real human beings — not computer screens. Human interaction is an extremely powerful thing. It doesn’t matter whether your an introvert of extrovert — each and everyone of us benefits enormously from connecting with other human beings in the real-world.

Love.

Here comes the sappy part. Love what you do. Speak about it romantically, dance up and down the room about it, shout it from the top of whatever platform, no matter how big or small, you are given or can find. Life is boring, exhausting and not worth living unless you spend your time doing what you love. It doesn’t matter what it is — entrepreneurship, consulting, accounting, building, fixing, gardening or teaching — just love it. If you love what you do, every other thing that you thought would make you happy — money, material things, status — drops off the radar. Then share your love and creation with friends and family — surely you’re on your way to true happiness now.

In this weeks BRW Richard Branson talks about what we can learn from Steve Jobs and the legacy he has left behind. I think this sums up why belief, passion and love are so important in what we do, “How is it that our very different paths have both resulted in the creation of successful companies? I believe it comes down to us pursuing our passions — we both truly enjoyed and believed in what we were doing. Because you are far more likely to be persistent, inspired and dedicated if you love what you do”.

Find your passion, believe in yourself and love every damn day of it.