Passion. The trait that I look for most in people to see their potential for success. Drive. The trait I look for next.
It’s entirely possible to be successful without one or the other. Hell, you can be successful without either. But if you have both working in the same direction it shows a person looking for something more – and a person willing to work for it.
There are plenty of articles extolling the virtues of doing what makes you happy or about finding your passion. Those are great but I think of Passion being something more internalized. You either have it or not – it’s not something that can come and go. Drive is the same way. Yes or no. You have it or you don’t.
So go out today and put it all on the line. Step over the lines you think are holding you back. Make someone mad at you. Do the things you know to be right and damn the consequences.
And to the managers out there. Don’t hate on Passion. If someone does what they think is best out of a desire to do better it’s not a problem or a fault. Reward them even if it doesn’t go right. Teach them the way to direct their Passion better the next time but don’t punish.