We’ve been sold a lie about entrepreneurship.
That lie is that we have to be passionate about what we’re doing if we want our business to be a success.
The argument is fluffy at best, and it goes as follows. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, then you won’t want to do it every day. And when times are tough, you’ll quit unless you’re passionate about the problem you’re solving.
That’s not completely wrong, but it’s definitely not even close to being completely right.
Passion is a perk, not a prerequisite.
We don’t have to be passionate about our work in order to be successful at it. Think about it. I can be very good at making pizzas without being passionate about making pizzas. Now, let’s flip this around and look at it from another angle.
I can be absolutely passionate about pizza, but that doesn’t make me the best pizza chef in the world. While it’s a major plus to be passionate about your work, it’s not a prerequisite.
Passion is a perk of success, but not always required.
Instead of being passionate, be persistent.
Business will inevitably knock you down. When it does, passion won’t always be enough to get you back on your feet. But persistence will.
There’s no denying that it’s easier to win when you’re passionate about your work. Everyone could use a little motivation from time to time. However, we don’t always need it.
One successful entrepreneur might have been engulfed in passion, while another successful entrepreneur couldn’t have cared less.
But no matter which success story you read, the one common trait among them is persistence.
Persistence is a prerequisite for success.
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Photo: Flickr/R.U.P.A.K – A.N.T.O ~~ Passing Time