People often say they are trying to find their passion in a career.
Passion is created within you by what you believe and what you think.
Ask yourself: when you think about the things that are the most important to you, what are they?
Contrary to what we often hear, your career doesn’t need to be your passion. You can have a career that serves you well – and pursue passions outside of that career. Passion can be created and ignited in many ways.
It is not the purpose of your career, or anything else for that matter, to create passion in you.
The only person who can create passion in you – is you.
Maybe it has been an incredibly good year for you – or incredibly hard.
No matter what is happening to you in your business, passion can be within you – regardless of the circumstances around you.
Ready to Take the Passion Test?
The test of passion is a commitment to something regardless of what happens, how it feels, or how many times you fail to get there. 
That is passion.
Knowing this, what are the decisions that you want to make for yourself? How might you look at your life differently?
If your career is NOT your passion, then…
- What DOES your career serve for you?
- Why do you do what you do?
- What makes you get up in the morning to go?
- If you could work anywhere else, why have you chosen to work where you’re at?
- Why do you choose to stay there and keep doing it?
What I Know About Decision-Making
We all make decisions about what we want to do based on how we feel or how we think we will feel. There are no wrong answers as to what drives you. And when you can identify that, it allows you the opportunity to:
- Maximize the benefits of what you hope to achieve within your current business and position
- Organize and make peace with your thoughts that may cause any struggle for you
- Create a clear path that is aligned with exactly what your true motivations are
- Have a guideline to measure all your career decisions against and toward
My definition of our dominant decision-making motive is:
“an aroused need, drive or desire that stimulates behavior to satisfy the aroused need”
There is a need that you want to satisfy to ensure you maintain a feeling or desire you have, or to create a feeling or desire that you want. You are driven to contemplate choices to make decisions that you believe will satisfy that need.
If we are unclear about what is driving our decision, we risk making decisions that are not aligned with what we want, since the emotions lack clarity as to what is driving them. This can result in remorse and regret once the real dominant motives surface again, since they were unsatisfied.
Is Money Your Passion? If So, Why?
Most people say money is their passion. But…
Money is NEVER the answer.
Money is not a feeling or an emotion that has been left unsatisfied. It is paper in your wallet, or in a bank account.
If your answer is money, the next question is: why?
Money generates thoughts and emotions. While itself not a feeling or emotion, money always triggers thoughts and beliefs in us that generate intense emotions. There’s always a reason WHY money is significant and what it means to you – and you MUST know what it is.
If Not Money, What Drives Employees?
This is something we explore on a regular basis in our Strive Membership Program, but here are a few highlights of different categories of what motivates employees:
- Valued/Ego: Some people want to know that they are an integral part of every part of the company. Feeling valued and being seen as needed are necessary for this person. This person would not be easily lured away by a competitor for money – if they will not be contributing at that level in ways they care most about.
- Achiever: Developing themselves and career advancement opportunities are the most important aspects for this person. They value learning, skillset building, and the expertise they gain.
- Believer: Money is likely the least important factor for this category. Believing in and being a part of a cause or mission that is bigger than oneself is the most valuable reward for those in this category. While this may not be their passion, it brings other value in their life that allows for fulfillment.
- Flexer: Work balances with family. This person values their outside life, and all decisions are made around that. When offered more money, this person would not likely trade their life balance for it. Other, low-cost perks and flexibility may be appealing to this person, however.
- Belonger: Feeling as though they belong in the group and are accepted. When you create that culture with your people and they bond together, it is very difficult to tear them away. The friendships and relationships they build are what brings the most value to their world – and nothing can replace the value they put on that.
- Contributor: The words I use to describe this category are security, responsibility, do the job, do it well, go home. They take pride in what they do, and they want to be paid to do it. They don’t necessarily need to lead the charge of the company in any way… they want job and financial security, and they want to go home where they have other passions.
What about you? Do you see yourself in any of the above categories?
Career Motives Change Throughout Life
Our dominant motives often change. You may have been an Achiever and as you’ve evolved through your life, you may now be a Contributor.
It is valuable to understand the why that is really behind your passion. This is what dictates the emotions that are underneath the surface.
Maybe you identified with each of these on some level. Which one is the deal breaker? Which one would you never compromise for the others?
We are all capable of fulfilling our feelings on our own, anywhere, under any circumstances. They are generated within us. It is not our career’s job to satisfy our need for passion.
But at the end of the day, we are all humans who are looking to create the life we want around us. Once you’ve given that some thought, consider the idea that your employees have the same options, decisions, and choices to make for themselves as well.
The more you know about yourself and what motivates your employees, the better you can navigate those decisions for yourself and others in your business.
We tackle issues like this in our Monthly Membership Program here at Strive. We can help you create your path toward the decision making and results that are right for you as you move forward.