As many of you know, I just got back from the Creative Freelancer Conference in Chicago and I am excited about many new ideas, tools and people I encountered while I was there. If you’ve ever been to a conference on a topic that really fits you, you know how easy it is to get trapped in the excitement and feel by the end of the week that you could move any mountain that stands in your way. Last week, of course, I felt the same way.
I bring this up as I think I may have found the secret ingredient to keeping that enthusiasm you feel sustained, long after you’ve unpacked your bags and realize that the weird looking thing in your fridge is leftover meatloaf you forgot to throw out before you headed out on your journey.
It’s what I call professional passion. Sounds interesting, but seriously I feel it’s the key to keeping your business sustained and fresh. Read more about rediscovering your passion. See what Sean M. Lyden the principal and senior writer of The Professional Writing Firm Inc., a Kennesaw, Georgia, has to say about discovering your passion.
While I was at the conference, I bumped into a woman from El Salvador. Yes, someone had made the trek to Chicago all the way from Central America just to discover the world of freelancing. As college student in El Salvador, this ambitious designer told me the reason she was at the conference was because she noticed the word “freelancing” in an ad for the conference and was curious. Of course being a writer, hearing that someone selected a conference based on a word … well, I was all ears. Don’t you wish your clients were always this interested?
After talking to her I walked away realizing one thing. What brought this student all the way from Central America to the midwest was passion. I wonder, how many of us still have that eager passion which propelled us into the professions that we currently hold? I know for myself it started with helping others problem solve and my love for connecting with people. Yes, that’s the focus of my company Dog-Eared Pages, but I wonder, do we get bogged down by the day-to-day operation of our businesses and forget what lit our fire in the beginning?
I offer this advice. Spend at least 10 minutes 3 times a week reflecting on your professional passion and then take action. Here’s some questions to get you started.
- Why did you choose your industry?
- What brings you to work each day?
- Is there something missing from your current work situation that keeps you from living your professional passion? What can you do to change it?
- How can you take your professional passion and make it a central part of your daily routine?
- If you aren’t passionate about your work situation, what can you do to get there?
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