June 29, 2015
I just got back from a 3-day weekend in Catalina with great friends – a beautiful and relaxing spot (see below for one of my favorite shots). We took the inland tour to the airport and heard quite a bit of Catalina’s history. Certainly, William Wrigley Jr. was instrumental in Catalina’s history. He clearly had a passion for bringing the island to life. He brought movie stars, the Avalon casino, herds of bison, the Chicago Cubs (my favorite from when I was a child), and much more to ensure the island would be vibrant and could be shared with tourists for generations to come.
One of the stories the tour guide told us was when Catalina shut down during World War II. The military used Catalina for many purposes during the war; however, Wrigley lost countless dollars of tourism during that time. Thus, he was handed a blank check to be made out for what would have been fair compensation. Instead, he wrote the check for $4 for 4 years. Now that takes passion.
One tip to implement this week:
Find your passion. Think about what you enjoy doing. Don’t despair if you think it isn’t related to work. If you think back over the last few weeks, consider which activities you liked better than the rest. What do they have in common? Was it when you were crunching numbers? Talking with people? Negotiating a deal? If you aren’t sure, ask your friends and colleagues what they see as your strengths. You might be reminded of things you’ve forgotten. Once you find your passion, leverage it!
If you can’t think of anything related to work, think about other activities. You will find something. Once you find an activity that you enjoyed more than others, think about how you can do more of that in your work life. Talk with your manager to see how you can further leverage this passion. Be willing to do more of whatever will provide value to your manager so that you can also do additional items related to your passion. Build upon this area in your spare time. Research. Go to classes. Success will follow.