Ooohhh, we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t all love some steamy passion every once in a while. It heightens our senses, gets the blood pumping and puts us into to high gear…However, having a good romp in the dark (or daylight!) usually requires a lot more than just passion. Desire helps, along with a spot of romance and personal care. Then there’s the all important planning – who else is around (importantly – where are the kids?) and finally some thought about the execution and allowing time to savour the moment.

What happens though if all you have is passion and none of the other pre-requisites? Depending on passion alone may leave one feeling, ummmm, a touch frustrated. Relying just on passion may mean disappointing outcomes where things don’t go as planned. Passion without an execution strategy may well end in disaster. Passion can quickly become the pits…

It is exactly the same in business or achieving a personal goal. I was incredibly enthusiastic about Billie Goat and often people would comment that they could ‘hear the passion in my voice’. I bought into the idea that if I wanted it badly enough it would happen, and yes, many times it did.

BUT…

My passion almost killed me. Almost.

There were times that my passion squeezed out any room for all the other elements needed to make my goals successful. My renedezvous with success required a combination of things;  time for reflection, time for feedback, time for self-care, time for considerate planning, time to identify red flags. There was no wonder that I had frustrating and disappointing experiences at times. Passion on its own was, in fact, more damaging than helpful.

I’m working on other projects nowadays and I cringe a little inside when I have people tell me they can hear my passion for the topic when I speak. Part of me secretly hopes they don’t hear it because then I feel I am giving myself a more balanced view of the tasks ahead.  When does passion morph into obsession anyway? You’ll know it’s time to climb out of the passion pit if:

• The project at hand is the only thing you think about.
• You’re losing sleep at night (or unable to sleep) because the task is on your mind.
• You’re feeling personally run down but keep telling yourself you’ll be ok when this is over.
• You ignore project red flags because you think the more you throw at the project the more they will go away.
• You believe nobody else truly understands the importance of the outcome like you do.

I’m not saying that passion isn’t important when it comes to getting things done. It most certainly helps – but it is not the only thing that delivers success. I don’t buy into the slogans that say if you want it badly enough (are passionate enough) you’ll get it. Passion has a place, but there’s so much more that makes the experience memorable 😉