Lighting It Up

I read an interesting article about the book, Fire Them Up written by Carmine Gallo, on personal branding that started with the concept of igniting your enthusiasm. And, if we are not excited about what we do than no one else will be excited about what we do either. Then an hour or so later I saw this concept in action. I met a gentleman (who looked like he was barely old enough to drink) who was so passionate about his profession that he beamed. And, after talking with his colleagues, I found out how unbelievably successful he was. His enthusiasm was not the product of a polished sales pitch, but a true enjoyment of his profession. I left there realizing that I did not have even a small percentage of his enthusiasm for a large part of what I do. There are pockets that I enjoy to that level and a few new emerging areas that have that kind of "rush". But, I have always chosen the safe route because there is more (and easier to find) work in my less interesting areas. Big rewards require big risks - maybe its time I pushed myself outside of those familiar boundaries and ignited my passion for my profession. How many of you can say you have a "passion for your profession"?

(Note: This was a Summer 08 post I made on myspace)