Bring your passion to your work

My brother, David James Hansen, is a lot of things. He is a talented graphic designer, a gifted barbeque-teer, and probably the number 1 guy you want at your next party. Seriously, I once saw him unscrew an IBC root beer with his belly button. Recently, he gave me some amazing and terrifying advice.

We were talking about work, career, and life, when he said, "You don't find work that matches your passion. You bring your passion to your work." In other words, passion comes from the inside out, not the outside in. You are responsible for your own passion, not your circumstances, not your surroundings, not your job, not your boss, not your husband/wife. You can be a passionate CEO or a passionate DMV clerk or a passionate stay at home mom/dad or a passionate barista, because it's your choice. If you find no passion in your work, you have no one to blame but yourself. That's the terrifying part.

The strange thing is, everyone is passionate about something, but it's rarely their work.  It's hard to be passionate about our work, even though it's the thing we spend the majority of our waking hours doing. When we think about the things we are passionate about, we often think about our significant other, kids, political views, or mostly our hobbies. It's easy to be passionate about hobbies, because they are choice-based activities.

If you knew me, you would know that one of my most passionate hobbies is comic book characters. It's nerdy, but I don't care (for you, just insert NFL, cars, gardening, etc). I buy comic books and movie tickets for every super hero flick. I listen to podcasts and read articles to stay up on the latest news. I am never late for a movie opening.  I build communities around myself of other super hero fans. I even try to convince as many people as I can to like Super Heroes as much as I do.

Let's break this down, because I choose to bring my passion to my hobby, I regularly:

• Invest in content related materials
• Attend meetings and events without being late
• Build and lead communities of like-minded people
• Engage in professional development
• Enthusiastically sell to customers

It's pretty easy to see, if it were were my "job," I would be on the fast-track to success. Unfortunately, it's not, and it never will be. Most people's hobbies will never be their "job." However, we need to find a way to bring our passion to our work, in the same way we bring it to our hobbies. 

The question you should be asking is, "how do I choose to bring my passion to my work?" I think step one is to make what you do important. In his blog, Seth Godin (you can find it here) wrote, "I'm not sure that anyone has a calling. I think, instead, our culture creates situations where passionate people find a place where they can make an impact. When what you do is something that you make important, it doesn't matter so much what you do." Find something about your work that you think is important, whether it's making a product that people want/need, helping someone, making someone's day better, or solving a problem. There is something there. I know it.

You should've been at Japp's tonight

Something amazing happened tonight.

Japp's in OTR hosted Northside Distilling Co for their Craft Distiller's Night. Chris Courts, the head distiller, represented Northside, along with his partner Michael Marcagi and their trusty Whiskey Still used to make their product. As I am sure is often the case at Japp's, it was a crowded night.

People were packed in at the bar, tables, and standing in any open space. Yelling over the crowd and banging on a glass, Japp's owner, Molly, got everyone's attention to introduce Chris. With all eyes on him, he took the stage. Speaking loud enough to drown out the ambient bar noise, he said, "Thanks for being here. I am going to talk to you about Northside Distilling Co and our product, but before I do, I would like to introduce myself and tell you why I do what I do. Is that ok?" Immediately, half the bar got up and walked out.

I was shocked, embarrassed, and humiliated, and I wasn't the one on stage. I can't imagine how Chris felt. Being vulnerable, standing out, or putting yourself out there only to be flat out rejected is literally some people's worst nightmare. I am sure there is a phobia named for this. Everyone has that school-aged kid living inside of us who is afraid of being laughed at. It seemed like the night was over, but then that amazing thing happened that I was talking about earlier.

Chris shared anyway! He didn't pack up and go home, he didn't cut down his talk, and he didn't even speed it up to get off stage faster. He took a breath, shook it off, and moved forward. Chris taught us an important lesson: If you try to please everyone, you will please no one. Instead, do what you think is important, and you will please a few, and they are the ones who matter.

This was the best thing that happened in OTR tonight. For the people who decided to stay, we received a gift. We learned the core values that have shaped Chris and the distillery he works for. We heard how his grandfather's wisdom guided him during a time of confusion. We got to taste the whiskey that he passionately made with his own hands, and we heard how Chris is changing the city one bottle at a time.

I think we need more people doing what Chris did tonight. People who are less concerned with "conforming" to the crowd and more concerned with doing something important and sharing it with the world.

The Abundance Worldview from Cats

If more people were like my cat, Bobo, they would be happier, more fulfilled, and more successful; but sadly most people are like my cat Charlie Girl. 

We found Charlie Girl in the wild when a stray cat had kittens. When I first saw Charlie, she was fighting off her siblings to finish off a dead bird head. For her, everyday was a fight for survival. She not only had to fight off predators, but she had to compete with her siblings to get enough food. Charlie Girl's life was one of scarcity. She saw the world as a limited, dangerous, and harsh place, and she never lost that perspective. Even after years of living indoors, she stole food even though there was plenty, fought others even though there was no danger, and would constantly overeat to the point of obesity even though meals were consistently delivered. 

Bobo's life, on the other hand, was one of abundance. We found Bobo when a neighbor's cat had kittens. We found him safely nestled in cardboard box with his mom and siblings. The moment he was weened, he was welcomed into our house. He lived inside his whole life. He had a cupboard full of food, a bed, and catnip toys. There was no competition, no risk, no danger. He saw the world as plentiful, safe, and calm place. 

The Abundance Worldview says, "There are limitless opportunities and potential for growth, therefore there is no risk. I can not only survive, but thrive! Being partnered with others increases the growth and opportunities I will see. I can be generous with my time, energy, and ideas without fear of someone taking advantage of me. Additionally, the more I freely give my time, energy, and ideas the more the everybody benefits. Generosity is the best strategy."

The Scarcity Worldview says, "Everyday is a fight for survival. There are a limited amount of time, energy, and ideas, so the more I share, the less I have. I have to constantly be on the lookout of someone taking advantage of me. Someone is going to lose, and it's not going to be me. Generosity might just get you killed."

Abundance vs. Scarcity Questions:

• How do you feel when someone else succeeds or is recognized for his/her accomplishments?
• How do you react when you feel under appreciated?
• What scares you most about freely giving your time, energy, or ideas?