I have a son who’s been in the construction business for a few
years.  Last year he decided to return to college and get a degree.  As
he’s finishing up his general courses, it’s time to decide “what he
wants to do when he grows up.”  The other night we were talking about
it and he said, “I just wish I could find something I’m truly
passionate about.”

After he left, I started reflecting back on people I knew who’d been
successful, those who weren’t and the differences.  The thing that
stands out to me is people who are successful have two things in
common: 1) They do something they’re really good at, and 2) they’re
truly passionate about what they do.

I think of Michael Jordan.  He’s the greatest basketball player of
all time (imho.)  What made him a phenom is he’s good at what he does,
and he has a passion for the game (and to be the best.)  Now when he
switched to baseball, it was a different story.  Who knows, he may have
had a passion for baseball (although to me it seemed a passion born of
boredom from having reached the top somewhere else,) but he clearly
didn’t have the natural talent.  Lacking those two factors amounted to
a tacit admission that it wasn’t going to work long before he switched
to baseball.  Taking that thought a step further, if in the beginning
he had said, “No, it’s baseball or nothing,” nobody would have ever
heard his name.

On the other hand, I have sat in meetings where accountants tell
entrepreneurs that there’s absolutely no way in this world that their
idea could possibly enjoy any level whatsoever of success, and then the
entrepreneurs go right out and do it anyway.  Passion doesn’t show up
as a line item on the business plan or in the financial statements. 
Certainly, it comes through when the entrepreneur sits down with the
banker, but who knows how it will be valued by the banker.  Bankers are
more like accountants when it comes to placing a hard value on
enthusiasm.

In my experience, however, I’ve seen passion overrule the numbers
many times (not every time, of course, but more than you would think.) 
It’s passion that makes an entrepreneur work 20 hours a day 365 days a
year for about $00.20 per hour.  It’s passion that keeps him / her
focused on winning the race, when everyone around them is screaming at
them to quit.  It’s passion that gives them peace in the face of almost
insurmountable opposition.  It’s passion that makes it all worthwhile.

So next time someone comes to you with a hair-brained idea that
can’t possibly work, don’t forget to factor in the passion quotient. 
Next time you have a hair-brained idea that can’t possibly work, be
sure to check your own passion quotient.  Next time someone says to
you, “I want to find something I can be passionate about,” be sure you
teach them the true value of that passion.