Passion

Dr. Denis Waitley a good friend and mentor once said, that one should 'chase your passion and not your pension'.

I thought that I understood this as I had committed myself to a business - a vocation even - that I loved. Helping people to self-actualise, achieve their potential and evolve.

But if that's the secret, why was life still so tough? For years how come the mystical 'flow' wasn't working - how come I still had to seem to work hard for everything that I achieved - so much so that eventually it wasn't any fun anymore. How come if I worked so hard at what I was so passionate about I wasn't haven't more fun and when eventually (dear God) would I get to that mythical place of balance between my personal and professional selves?

The answer only struck me recently (and I do appreciate that I AM slow...). Passion isn't just about what you work at. Pension isn't just about the money - it's about the health, the friends, the family, the personal joy, the interests, the loves that you develop as a person.

Chasing 'your passion not your pension' isn't just about the money and the work - it's about all of you and all that you do. Life is a 'now' thing. Joy is something we choose.

When we realise that the living the balance is what matters most, when we chase the passions in our personal lives as well as the passions in our working lives - then the 'flow' comes.

Give yourself permission to chase your personal passions and the joy and the energy that you get from that will unlock reservoirs of energy for all your other endeavours.

Soft Power

We live in a new time - a time when 'soft power' will supercede 'hard power'. 'Hard Power' 'or do it because I'm the boss and I tell you to do it' is antiquated. It's 'suit thinking'.

'Soft Power' the ability to connect with someone at a deep level and have them willingly involve and engage with helping us accomplish our goals is the new power. This is 'rebel thinking'.

The ability to influence, persuade, connect, leverage, develop a credible brand, be tech-savvy and know how to project oneself in a world that has an increasing number of voices and opinions - will determine one's future success.

Where does this 'soft power' come from? From within. When we have a clear sense of ourselves and what we want out of our careers and our lives, then we can begin to learn how to project that'soft power' to get others to help us make those dreams come through. 'Soft Power' cannot be created until we make time to reflect on our environment or our context.

Ideally, that time should be during a period of 'enforced reflection' where we periodically sit with a coach who can bring an external perspective, a synergy and accountability to our quest to define, refine and deadline our dreams.

The constitutents of soft power - provocation (provided by your coach) passion (provided by you) and purpose (refined by you both) - inexorably lead to persuasion and collaboration.

The willing engagement of people to help you create a future that is greater than anything that could ever have been accomplished on your own. This is the power of the rebel in a business suit - this is 'soft power'.