Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 17 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Encore Effect – Part 4
— From The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do by Mark Sanborn
As promised, today we’re going to talk about PASSION. This is one of the various Ps that are needed to achieve a remarkable performance as explained in the book The Encore Effect. Stay tuned over the next few days of this miniseries to learn about the other “P” components.
In yesterday’s post, the author, Mark Sanborn, said, “Passion is the fuel that drives performance.” Today, he expands on a very important point about passion: “remarkable performance isn’t just about what we do; it’s also about how we do it.”
And he centers on an important point. “Life isn’t just about living our passions but about living passionately.” And while subtle when reading, this makes a world of difference once we understand it.
Sanborn explains, “In the everyday world, most of us don’t get to focus exclusively on doing those things we are passionate about. The solution? Do everything important with passion.”
No matter your role, if you infuse it with passion, creativity, and enthusiasm, you’ll guarantee increased value in the eyes of those around you. This, in turn, will generate opportunities and doors will open for you. “As a parent or spouse, as a volunteer in your church or community, as an employee making a sales call, teaching a class, or leading a company, bringing passion to what you do each day is an exercise in living fully and influencing others by your example.”
“The good news is that passion can be created and stoked. It’s up to you to do so.”
So, how can we develop and cultivate passion?
Sanborn suggests the following five things:
1. Study and learn. “You can go a long way toward becoming a passionate performer by buying the best books, subscribing to the best magazines and going to free university lectures [online]. […] Given the unlimited amounts of information available today, there is little justification for anyone not being a reader [hmmm, let me tell you about a blog that can help you with this… 😉 ] There is no shortage of ways to become an expert in your field—and grow more passionate in the process.”
2. Use small achievements or successes to fuel larger ones. “Remarkable performances are like losing weight. Which goal sounds more achievable—losing one pound per week for a year or losing fifty-two pounds? The result may be the same, but psychologically these goals are as different as night and day. Focus on achieving a remarkable performance today, then another one tomorrow.”
3. Look to other passionate people as role models. “Reach out to people you respect for their passion and performance. Start a group of like-minded people with similar goals. Avoid the people who act as ‘blockers.’ Remember, passion begets passion.”
4. Plug the leaks. “Examine those areas in your life where your resources (your time, talent, and skills) are not being put to the best use. […] Don’t spend time on things that diffuse your focus and do not advance your goals.”
In here, Sanborn tells the story of a student asking Albert Einstein how many feet were in a mile, and him saying he didn’t know. Upon seeing the student’s amazement, Einstein explained, “I make it a rule not to clutter my mind with simple information that I can find in a book in five minutes.”
5. Make passion part of your life. “Where the head goes, the heart will follow. You may not feel passionate, but when you decide you are going to become a passionate person, you will become one. If you act the part and succeed in the part, one day you will discover that you have become the part! If you deliberately and consciously act with passion, you will come to feel that passion.”
All remarkable performances require effort and energy, but they start with and continue to be fueled by passion all along.
As you know, I’m passionate about sharing the ideas I come across in the books I read (…barely noticeable, huh?). What are you passionate about? Let me know in the comments here.
And please come back tomorrow, as we will take a look at more of the “P” elements for remarkable performances in this miniseries.
ACTION
TODAY: Let’s plug the leaks today: find your sources of distraction and eliminate [or appease] them. For example, social media. If I don’t set limits for myself, I go in to read ONE tweet and I’ll still be there 2 hours later… ugh!… (#NotProud). While you don’t have to eliminate it, can you give yourself a set amount of time, timer-in-hand, so that you don’t get sucked into a time vortex? Can you silence or eliminate the notifications on your phone so that they don’t distract you until you are actually on your specified time for this? What other leaks are there in your life that you might be able to plug today?
FUTURE: Create the intention and commit to develop and cultivate passion in those areas of your life and business that are important for you. You will enjoy them more and become a remarkable performer at them.
Know someone who is an encore performer? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!