The First Pillar of Success: Positive Passion

I’m still on leave today…

Teringat masa dulu2… belajar geografi… Malaysia negara bertuah, bebas dr lingkaran gunung berapi, gempa bumi… pendek kata… aman damai… ‘free’ bencana alam.

Tahun ni saje… baru jek beberapa minggu… Kelantan dilanda banjir besar… seluruh Kota Bahru ditenggelami air…

Dan semalam… lagi kejutan… gempa bumi dan ‘tsunami’. Kesimpulannya… apabila Allah menghendakinya berlaku… maka tiada tempat yang akan terselamat… termasuk Malaysia yang kononnya ‘aman damai sejahtera… cemerlang gemilang dan terbilang’ ini.

TIPS continues…

The First Pillar of Success: Positive Passion

This is the second in a series of TIPS on the “building
blocks” that high achievers use to achieve their goals.
After studying highly effective people for over 30 years,
ranging from wealthy entrepreneurs to creative artists, to
great parents, ministers, teachers and salespeople, I’ve
tried to identify the key “building blocks” they have in
common.

I am convinced that building a great life is NOT an
accident. It is not a matter of luck or coincidence or
genetic gifts. Of course, those things play a role. If your
dream is to be a world-class athlete, it probably helps to
be strong and quick and agile!

No one disputes that, but the mystery is how so many
people with apparent “lucky genes” falter and fail in life,
while others who were never voted “most likely to succeed”
go on to great achievement. How does that happen?

The answer, of course, is that there are specific,
measurable skills to success in life. And they can be
learned!

Last week I pointed out that the “foundation” for a great
life is Unusual Self-Awareness. Highly effective people
know who they are and build lives that reflect their
interests, abilities, talents and values. The failures in
life, no matter how much money or power they accumulate,
are always trying to be “someone else.”

Perhaps the most glaring example of failure in all of
history was a guy named Judas Iscariot. He figured out how
to get the money – he betrayed his teacher – and he got the
money. He got 30 pieces of silver and all it cost him was a
self-hatred that caused him to throw the money away and go
hang himself. Getting the money did not equal success!

“First, know thyself.” It all starts with a foundation of
Self-Awareness. You don’t want to spend your life only to
find out at the end that you “blew it.” Walk in the
direction you really want to go!

And go with Passion!

Passion has many names. Some people call it a sense of
mission or purpose. Some have a sense of God’s calling,
while others have a vision that keeps them focused through
the years.

I am convinced that all high achievers have a sense of
Passion about what they can accomplish in life. Some
describe it elegantly and precisely, while others seem
muddled and may even claim they “never think about it.” But
it’s there, nevertheless.

We are goal-seeking creatures. From childhood we have
dreams and we are determined to walk and talk, to master
games, and go to school. Later, we learn to drive, to date,
to play sports or music. Throughout history, we have
wondered what lay over the horizon, out of sight and
calling to us. We are an exploring, curious people, and
that is the basis for Positive Passion.

Now, it’s important to note that some people are driven by
negative passions. In extreme cases, they are driven by
hate or fear, but more often they are driven by less
dramatic, everyday passions for sex or money or
irresponsible power. Many addictions are merely passion
focused on gambling or drugs, for instance. I don’t know
that those things are necessarily “wrong”, but the results
are often disastrous.

The winners in life are pulled forward by a Positive
Passion for what’s possible. They have a dream of raising
great kids or building a great business. They imagine
writing a great symphony or preserving a rain forest. They
have a Positive Passion that fires their imagination, that
gets them up in the morning, a Positive Passion that renews
their hope, and pulls them forward.

Out of knowing who you are and what you want (Self-
Awareness) comes a Positive Passion to make a difference.
Find something that excites you, something that scares you
a bit because it’s so big and challenging and wonderful,
then trust your Positive Passion to make it happen. That’s
what winners do.