The Defining Characteristic
What is a defining characteristic you see in high-performing athletes, successful entrepreneurs, well-respected artists and high-level educators? The characteristic I see in all these individuals is present despite their different socio-economics, upbringing, education or experience levels.
It is PASSION.
I have spoken on the difference between a leader and a follower. Consider for a moment, how many successful leaders have you followed who have lacked passion or a drive to accomplish that which was in front of them? The answer is probably none.
Now consider where you are right now. What goal do you have for your business that you believe in so strongly, one you will go for despite all challenges and obstacles?
Accomplishing a dream and making a real change in the world around you is hard work. Steve Jobs said we have to have a lot of passion for what we do because if we don’t, any rational person would give up. I agree entirely.
Other successful entrepreneurs have said similar things on the importance of passion in work; Jeff Bezos said, “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.”
And when your passion is intertwined with love and the optimism of what could be, you will be driven to capture what most would think is impossible. Mark Twain, I feel, said it best, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
See more of what Steve Jobs had to say on passion in this short video of his talk to entrepreneurs:
My passion is to see millions of people’s lives positively impacted through a social commerce platform that will redefine distribution as we know it.
I would love to hear what your passions are in the comment section below. Remember, when leaders are truly passionate, everyone around them who is part of their pursuit, feels that passion in themselves as well.
Agreed Any passion in life is like experiencing a new love affair. The newness of it sustains us in the beginning, but its that passionate love of it that propels us to put the work in to maintain its strength. In my own experience, passion can be illusive, but passion sustained can be accelerating! Like Steve Jobs said, “You really gotta love it.”:)
My passion is to empower millions of people to change their lives through changing there way of thinking.
Ryan, thank you for sharing your passion to help change the lives of millions of people and to do it in such a wonderful way! I’m especially grateful that I finally have the answer I’ve been looking for as the solution for fulfilling MY passion!
It’s about the Solavei tag line ‘powered by relationships’….and that’s PEOPLE!
People are the energy and Solavei is the vehicle I’ve been looking for!
The international youth movement called Up with People, started in the 60′s and has been celebrating PEOPLE for over 48 years. I became passionate about the organization with my first encounter in 1970, creating relationships with cast members and embracing their message. Just out of high school, I was honored to travel in 1972 for a year with an Up with People cast of about 150 youth thru the US, Mexico and Europe. We studied with university professors on the road, lived with host families from ALL levels of society and performed in a multitude of communities & venues, sharing the musical message that only thru RESPECT and APPRECIATION for ALL PEOPLE will the world see PEACE.
In fact, it was thru the exclusive invitation by our board member, track star Jesse Owens, that our cast was approved as the only outside visitors allowed inside the Olympic Village after the devastating terrorist attack and murder of the Israeli Wrestling team on Sept 5, 1972, halting the Munich Olympics. Our visit after the memorial service culminated in 2 shows in the village theater that positively impacted the athletes and visibly bridged the barriers of exclusion thru our music and relationships. We were cited by the Olympic Committee as being instrumental in the renewal of the morale of the athletes so the games could continue in PEACE.
Up with People is still sharing the message and their mission, to bridge cultural barriers and create global understanding through service and music. They still bring this goal to every community they visit and aim to leave a lasting, positive impression along with a spirit of community and service. For the students, their goal is to develop global citizens; to provide personal growth and leadership development opportunities; to instill an appreciation of the value of volunteerism in our society; to expose their participants to a wide range of experiences and cultures which will broaden their mind to the world and to their own potential.
After a long prestigious, yet unfulfilling career in aviation interior design, I am only now rewarded with Solavei and the ability to help Up with People continue their legacy. It’s always been my dream, and now I will finally be able to positively impact the lives of over 20,000+ alumni world wide, plus extended families, host families and fans, and bring a platform to those students who are looking for a way to fund their own passion of commitment to their own mission. Solavei is my solution to finally be able to make a lasting contribution that will offer Up with People the ability to continue to be the force for CHANGE that they have been for so many years.
THIS to me is the BEST partnership anyone could imagine! Having a shared vision to change the world, ONE person, ONE relationship at a time, and Solavei is finally MY answer to contributing to Up with People’s continued success.
Ryan, I would be honored if you would be MY guest along with your family when Up with People comes to Seattle and performs Sept 29 at 6pm at McCraw Hall. In preparation for that visit, I’d also invite you to be a host family that week, sharing your family’s culture with that of a visiting student from one of 22 countries around the world. I promise it will impact your life to get to know at least one of the 125 cast members and learn of their passion as well. During the week, they will be visiting the local schools and sharing an incredible anti-bullying program with the students as well as performing service projects with local non profits.
The organization is actually also looking for local corporate sponsorship and this would be a fantastic partnership that the local media would be promoting. (I sent you an email with an attached letter from Up with People.)
Please let me know if you’d be able to honor me and take advantage of my offer for the show, and if you can (as we’ve always called it) ‘open your heart, your home and your refrigerator’ to one of the visiting cast members. I promise you it’s an incredible opportunity, yet not at all time consuming to take part as a host family!
Thank you for this opportunity to share in my passion…. and most of all to be able to share Solavei with the Up with People community, creating a lasting relationship!