If there's any word that's truly been overused in the area of content marketing (and there are probably hundreds) it's passion.
Allow me to offer a few synonyms so we can all stop relying so heavily on buzzwords:
You get the point.
I think a lot of people misuse the term – even the whole concept of – passion. They use it as if it's synonymous with interest or niche.
But it's not.
Let's get this straight: you can't form a passion based on what subject you determine to be profitable.
Likewise, you can't automatically make your true passions profitable. There are going to be some things that truly fire your imagination that no one else cares about.
But, that's not going to be the case with all of them.
And where your real passions – those topics you can't stop talking about, those items that keep you giddy with anticipation – intersect with the passions of others, there you begin to feel the force that will help form your Hurricane.
A few words about hard work
I'm hopping back up on my soapbox for a few minutes, because this is a subject that irritates me. If you'd like to skip ahead to the “how does this affect your content marketing” section, you'll see where I'm going with this rant.
Few things are more highly praised and more energetically avoided than hard work.
Ask anyone if they’d like their son or daughter to grow up fat, lazy and spoiled. What do you think they’ll say?
Of course not! What a horrible thought!
And yet, ironically, that’s exactly what we seem to be encouraging them to do!
Maybe not in word, per se, but in attitude and in example, absolutely!
(Warning: Here comes the hypocritical advice!)
Hypocritical Advice
I do this too, so forgive me for pointing this out. If it feels better, consider it more of a common sense voice coming from behind you somewhere in the crowd:
Especially in the United States, we seem to have this inborn aversion to hard work. I’m sure it’s spreading all over the developed world, of course, because all the worst traits do.
For example, consider potential careers for a moment.
Would you prefer to be (or to help your children become) a ditch digger or a computer programmer? An auto mechanic or a lawyer? A farmer or a CEO? A mason or a writer?
(Alright, granted, no one wants their kid to grow up to be a writer.)
But you get the point.
For reasons that have little or nothing to do with common sense, logic, or the relative value of the work being accomplished, we automatically gravitate to the white collar desk job being somehow better than the blue collar labor job.
If a kid considers dropping out of High School or skipping college, we threaten them with something like, “what do you want to do, dig ditches for the rest of your life?”
Not that I’m advocating dropping out of school, but what the heck’s wrong with digging ditches?
And, to a large extent, salaries reflect that attitude as well. While we might think it’s outrageous what a mechanic might charge us to fix our car, it’s absolutely NOTHING compared to what a lawyer will charge us to write a few letters and file a form.
And compare the amount of actual WORK required by each!Who’s actually earning that money?
Now before you jump up and down on that last comment, I’m not trying to say that lawyers, accountants, or even writers for that matter, aren’t worth their pay.
They absolutely are.
All I’m saying is that those folks who actually break a sweat doing what they do are notoriously under-appreciated and under-paid considering the effort they need to put in.
Now think about what your life would be like if there were no ditch diggers, mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, pavers, farmers, long-haul truckers, janitors, maintenance workers, window washers, sanitary workers, landscapers, not to mention the thousands of other manual labor jobs I’ve left out.
It would be a really messy, chaotic and unpleasant world where none of our incredible machines could save us from the nasty underbelly of life.
Sad but true.
Can we change our attitude?
So can we change our attitude toward hard work?
Well, yes and no.
As a society, humans have always viewed “progress” as the movement from hard work to less hard work:
Technology is created to make it possible for us to accomplish more with the same amount of work, or to accomplish the same with less work.
The building of wealth allows one to progress from working hard to paying others to work hard for you.
Improved education allows you to qualify for the “better” jobs that don’t require you to work hard. At least not with your body.
Is this always bad?
No. Technology, wealth and education are all tools that can vastly improve our lives, and if they’re used properly, no one can argue that they hurt us more than they help. So, as a society, it’s tough to imagine our overall attitude changing on that score.
But, individually, we certainly can change the way we view hard work for ourselves, and the way we view those who work hard for a living.
The joy of hard work
Never underestimate the joy and contentment you can find in working hard.
I know personally, I hate the thought of mowing my lawn. I have a pretty big lawn for my neighborhood. Right around an acre. Plus it’s all hill, and there are about three thousand obstructions in the way of the mower.
And it’s a push-mower. Not a rider, not a walk-behind, but a push mower.
So it’s a lot of work, and I absolutely hate the thought of doing it.
But once I actually muscle through and get it done, my body gives me the old “well done” and I tamp that down with a cold beer. Then I look out at my gorgeous lawn, smell the awesome scent of newly-cut grass, and I feel a level of satisfaction I don’t get out of many other activities.
It’s a really powerful force, and one that a lot of athletes, artists, mechanics and other professionals who work with their hands understand:
“I did this. This is here because of me.”
Hard work just plain feels good.
So give it a try in your own life. The next time you’re considering a home improvement project or some clean-up in the yard, instead of hopping online and starting to compare quotes from contractors to come do it for you, why not hop online for how-to information so you can roll up your sleeves and give it a try?
And if your son or daughter has a real affinity for working with their hands, and doesn't mind getting them dirty, don’t be too quick to laugh off their thoughts of fixing cars or building houses for a living. After all, someone has to fix cars and build houses. A quality mechanic or construction contractor is going to make a nice, solid living doing it. And if they truly love their job, where’s the down side?
OK, I'm coming back down. But before I do, there's one more topic to cover. Again, if you'd like to skip ahead, you'll see how this all pans out.
A few words about persistence
Have you ever noticed that everyone seems to be capable of starting major, ground-breaking, world-changing projects? The thing is, only a rare few manage to finish them. And we call those people geniuses, leaders and heroes.
“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” ~ Thomas Edison
Unfortunately, just like so many other negative traits we wish we could kick to the curb, the tendency to tire out on an idea, lose steam on a project, or crumble when we run into obstacles, is human nature. It's common to nearly every man, woman and child in the world, and it's not going to be an easy habit to break.
But, it's definitely possible. And here's how:
Think big
First, if you are considering a project, a solution to a problem you're facing, or any other significant action, don't limit yourself to the bare-bones minimum. It's tough to get excited about “enough to get by.” It's easy, though, to get excited about “bigger and better than ever before!”
So start big, and work your way down to “okay” as you go. The worst that could happen is that you end up with a solution or finished project that meets your needs. And the bonus is that you learned a ton about what's possible along the way, which makes you more apt to shoot even higher next time!
Prepare for the worst, but aim for the best
This may sound trite, but it's important. By preparing for the worst, you free yourself from worrying about it, and you can see clearly how it may come to be. This allows you to focus your energies and efforts on avoiding it.
That way, your aim remains on the more positive target and you're more likely to keep shooting for it because worry and fear won't slow you down.
Treat obstacles as hurdles, not brick walls
When a runner is sprinting down the track, eyes on the finish line, peripheral vision noting the fact that his fellow runners are keeping up with him neck-and-neck, he barely sees each hurdle he needs to jump.
Sure, he knows they're there. He has to make an effort to get over them. But a trained runner with his eyes on victory doesn't even break stride when a hurdle gets in the way.
Imagine, though, if that same runner suddenly sees a ten-foot-high brick wall loom up in his lane. You'd better believe he'll be slowing down, probably even stopping. It's intimidating and potentially dangerous.
And that's exactly why you need to view the inevitable obstacles that get in the way of every project or goal you start as hurdles rather than walls. That means realizing they're there and putting the effort necessary into clearing them, but not allowing it to break your stride.
This is easier said than done, of course, but it's certainly not impossible. Success relies primarily on your state-of-mind, (just like competitive running,) and realizing that very few obstacles are actually as bad as they look or sound at the outset. Most, in fact, are tiny and hardly worth your concern.
Just do it
Sorry, Nike. But really, that's all that's left to this subject.
Persistence, when it's all said and done, comes down to just putting your head down and muscling through whatever it is you want or need to do. I put this step last, of course, because it's the most difficult and accomplishing the prior steps should make it easier.
But even after you take the time and effort to think big, plan ahead for the best outcome, prepare for all contingencies and maintain the right perspective on your obstacles, you're still going to have to dig down deep for the mental, emotional and physical strength to keep on going.
Which – if you've stuck with me this long, you've probably guessed – is where passion comes in.
How does this affect your content marketing?
Whatever it is, it fires your imagination. It brings a smile to your face. And – perhaps most importantly for our discussion – it has staying power.
See, if you're passionate about something, you're in a position to stick with it through the inevitable tough times that come to any content marketer: the days when writing another blog post feels like a trip up Sisyphus' mountain. When an infographic you poured your soul into garners three retweets. When "that other blog" suddenly launches a brand new e-book that looks a heck of a lot like the one you've been building to launch next week.
If you have passion for your topic, your industry, your point of view... none of that matters. You're going to keep going.
And taking a strategy from "disparate forces" right on through to "landfall" requires that kind of hard work and persistence.
Exercise #8 – Brainstorming: Your Passion
1. Explore your attitude toward hard work and persistence. Specifically, what subjects, projects, or goals give you the push you need to excel?
2. Look back to your other lists and circle any items that are repeated on this list.
3. Read the next chapter.