an interesting view on things...

I've read posts on this board referring to taking action and stopping procrastination. I recently heard something that I think puts an interesting spin on the common problem of not taking action.
The other day, my business was temporarily put on hold for about an hour while I was waiting for an order of leads to arrive in my email. Because I was in one of those situations where there was nothing to do but wait, I found myself in front of the TV, flipping through the channels.
This guy named "Dr. Phil" was on the Oprah Winfrey show and he was talking about various reasons why people don't live to their fullest potential. He used an analogy that really left an impression with me:
He said that people who live their lives doing something that is not their passion or something they're not naturally inclined to do is like when you were a child and you'd be playing in the pool and you'd try to hold an inflated beach ball underwater. The beach ball would do everything to try and get back to the top of the pool surface and you'd have to consume all of your energy to try and fight against the beach ball if you wanted to keep it under the water. Dr. Phil said that when you're doing something that you don't love for a living, it's like trying to keep that beach ball underwater your entire working life.
On the other hand, doing something that you thoroughly enjoy for a living, that you have a natural affinity for makes work never seem like work. Hence, there's no desire to procrastinate because you don't feel like you're working when you're doing what you enjoy. "Work" becomes like rolling a boulder down hill instead of uphill.

Many times on this board, I read about various new products and services that people talk about selling. And while it's easy to get fired up about a new idea or product, I think that a lot of people forget to ask themselves, "Is this something that will give me gratification over the long term?" If it's not, you're going to be trying to swim up stream once you start taking action, no matter how hot or exciting the new idea is at the time.

The best advice I can give anyone who is thinking about starting a new business or is struggling in their present profession is to be honest with themselves and ask themselves if what they're thinking about starting (or doing now) is REALLY what they want to spend their lives doing or if they're just enticed because of the potential monetary pay off.

This is a concept that I've heard other self-help speakers talk about in the past, and I never REALLY thought about how important this concept is. If a lot of you are thinking, "I don't know what my passion is", grab your yellow pages and an empty notebook and begin going page by page to see the thousands of jobs that are out there. Any time you see something that appeals to you, write it down. DON'T write a job down if the only reason you're writing it down is because it pays a lot. After you've got your list and have gone through the entire yellow pages, begin investigating and educating yourself on the many great possibilites the world has to offer.
If some of you are thinking "It's not practical for me to pursue my passion at this point in my life", you MUST eliminate that incorrect way of thinking, because what's really not practical is continuing to live your life in a way that you're not cut out for.

Again, a lot of speakers talk about the above concept and I'm certainly not a professional speaker (or typer), but I can say that I strongly believe that this is the key to happiness both professionally and personally.

Joe Cooper

Hi Joe:

The hardest thing about doing what you love is, doing what you love.

The moment you bring money into it, you need to interact with other people. And the moment you interact with other people in a finacial way, you are not entirely doing what YOU love.

You might like taking photos and so you start a photography business.

The problem is, you are now taking photos at the request of other people... of things they want photos taken of.

Your photographic creative freedom has been restricted, if not removed all together, and you are not doing what you love any more. After a while, you'll probably grow to hate the photography business. And you won't know why because you think you are doing what you love.

As for passion... it does NOT prevent procrastination, it does not enable you to keep going until you finish what you start. (And I don't care what the success-gurus say.)

Passion may get you going - BUT - it doesn't keep you going. And eventually your action will slow down and stop all together.

And having a natural ability doesn't necessarily mean you enjoy doing what your ability allows you to do. And if you are really naturally good at it, it will probably bore you because it is not a challenge.

There is only one thing which will overcome procrastination in every instance - regardless of passion, natural ability or any other success-guru-speak - and it is revealed in my new special report "The Success Report - How To Demolish The Success Barriers That Hold You Back and Be Pulled Towards Your Goals".

What's revealed in "The Success Report" has not been explicitly reveal elsewhere before. And I highly recommend to read it BEFORE embarking on any new project or writing any new goals. - It could save you a lot of wasted time and effort.

Michael Ross.

P.S. Procrastination cannot be avoided. Want to know WHY? It's also revealed in The Success Report as well as how to overcome it.




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Hi,

Only a tiny percentage of business-people can make money doing what they love.

If you play the odds (which you should do), don't try to do what the overwhelming majority can't.

Best,

- Boyd

Hi Michael,
As I read your response, you almost exactly described a situation I found myself in during my college days.
When I was in high school, playing the piano was my main hobby. I was also in a garage band, and in the school jazz band. All of my teachers, guidance counselors and my family were pushing me towards pursuing a career in music, because it was and is something that I love doing. So I went through all of the auditions for the various music schools and I wound up being accepted and going to a music conservatory as a college freshman. Music became my job at college. It required me to practice 8-10 hours per day just to keep up with my peers. To make a long story short, I was back home by the 2nd semester of my freshman year, attending a college near my home. I couldn't turn my love of music into an 8 hour, forced regimen. So, in that sense I agree with you, HOWEVER...
I have found through the past several years, that there are several things I enjoy doing to varying degrees and in varying ways. I've managed to find a career for myself, where I'm doing something that I enjoy in a way that I can do it AS A JOB. I was unable to do music as a job, because of my nature. Possibly, I enjoy music too much to do it as a job. What I think the key to happiness in one's working life is finding something that brings them satisfaction in a career context, not in a hobby context, if that makes any sense.
For example with me, I'm inclined towards using my creativity and the arts. And while I couldn't turn my love of music into a job, I found a career designing stained glass lamps, windows, entrances, etc. into a career that I'm highly satisfied with. It never gets boring for me and it never feels like a job.
I should have been more specific in my first post and said that I think the key is it to find something that you can be passionate about in a job context. I agree with you in that one won't get very far if they try to make a job out of something that they have a passion for in an enjoyment or hobby context - at least this has been my personal experience.

Joe Cooper

Michael,

You said, "You might like taking photos and so you start a photography business.
The problem is, you are now taking photos at the request of other people... of things they want photos taken of."

Well you are sort of contradicting yourself in that example. In your example the photographer isn't really following his passion. BUT it is possible that he can take pictures only of stuff he wants and make a successful career of it...and therefore truly follow his passion.

I have heard of photographers who take pictures only of what they want and sell them at art galleries, or have them made into notecards, posters and such. Perhaps you have heard of Ansel Adams or Anne Geddes?

The key is not just to do photography (or whatever your passion is), but to do it in a way that is passionate to you...that is true to you. It is not just saying this activity is my passion, but also the way I pursue and nurture this activity is my passion.

Your example of the photographer had his
creative freedom restricted not because he wasn't doing what he loved any more. But because he wasn't pursuing it in the same WAY that he had loved and pursued it before.

We have to discover our passion, and then choose to follow it in the way our heart leads us too. Not the way others or our mind says it must be done. Actually, the mind and heart must work together or we might passionatelly be making ourselves broke. :)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we must be very clear about what we mean when we say I am passionate about this. If you just say I am passionate about photography, that is actually very vague. What specifically about this activity do you love? Integrating those specific things into your career or business I believe is the key.

However, I think you are right about procrastination cropping up even if we are passionate about something and about other things you said.

Thanks for playing the devil's advocate...You make a lot of good points.

> Michael,

> You said, "You might like taking photos
> and so you start a photography business.
> The problem is, you are now taking photos at
> the request of other people... of things
> they want photos taken of."

> Well you are sort of contradicting yourself
> in that example. In your example the
> photographer isn't really following his
> passion.

No he's not. I even said as much. The thing is though, the example is exactly what most people do when they try to "do what they love."

That's why I said the hardest thing about doing what you love is, doing what you love.

BUT it is possible that he can take
> pictures only of stuff he wants and make a
> successful career of it...and therefore
> truly follow his passion.

Yes, it's true he could do that. That may take many years - or he may be one of those one in a million shots who stumbles onto something without any intention.

> I have heard of photographers who take
> pictures only of what they want and sell
> them at art galleries, or have them made
> into notecards, posters and such. Perhaps
> you have heard of Ansel Adams or Anne
> Geddes?

Yes. And just as we can all name some people who have done these things, in whatever 'field' we pick, these people are the exception and not the rule.

> The key is not just to do photography (or
> whatever your passion is), but to do it in a
> way that is passionate to you...that is true
> to you. It is not just saying this activity
> is my passion, but also the way I pursue and
> nurture this activity is my passion.

And let me add... that is in harmony with your core.

In my example, it wasn't taking photos that was the passion. It is what taking photos gives to the person. And they could just as easily satisfy that inner need doing something else, too.

> Your example of the photographer had his
> creative freedom restricted not because he
> wasn't doing what he loved any more. But
> because he wasn't pursuing it in the same
> WAY that he had loved and pursued it before.

Exactly!

> I guess what I'm trying to say is that we
> must be very clear about what we mean when
> we say I am passionate about this. If you
> just say I am passionate about photography,
> that is actually very vague. What
> specifically about this activity do you
> love? Integrating those specific things into
> your career or business I believe is the
> key.

That's right. The core of it. What inner part of you is being satisfied?

> However, I think you are right about
> procrastination cropping up even if we are
> passionate about something and about other
> things you said.

> Thanks for playing the devil's
> advocate...You make a lot of good points.

Thank You, and you're welcome. :o)

Michael Ross.




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