Passion About Systems

Let’s talk about passion.

All throughout our lives we’re told what we have to do, what we should do and what we need to do. Personal preference and even skill are not concerns. As we age we begin to seek appropriate substitutions for those things we fail at doing or simply dislike.

The mechanic who changes the oil in the car. The plumber who fixes the leaking faucet. Even the barista who brews a perfect latte.

It’s true that many people are simply doing a job but the ones who are truly in their passion are obvious. And, if given the option, I’d prefer to work with a passionate person over a just-doing-a-job person any day.

Wouldn’t you?

Let’s consider the flip side for a moment. As a productive member of society, I’d prefer to be working on the projects I’m passionate about. Any day. Every day.

While I have many interests and hobbies, I have 3 primary passions. They are:

1. Nurturing online businesses
2. Organization and processes
3. Teaching / Coaching / Consulting

When I work with passions #1 & #2 it looks like creating Playbooks on business systems

When I work with passions #2 & #3 it’s teaching via this blog and in mainstream media

When I work with passions #1 & #3 it takes the form of implementing in an online business

I’m most excited when I get to coach private clients – it’s the best when passions #1,  #2 and #3 coincide and I’m able to teach by educating on the processes that work, create custom playbooks and implement systems in online business. In fact, working with one of my awesome private clients who is managing over 60 developers, building websites and applications for clients around the world and strategically growing an international business has been a joy.

It’s fun. It’s challenging. It’s a joy to work in my passion. This is the work I can do all day, every day and is, ironically, something many people hate to do on their own.

There’s a common judgment of online coaches I hear often, that they’re all just making money off each other to spend money hiring each other. And I’ve found it’s also true in offline businesses too! The plumber uses the mechanic’s services so the mechanic can buy a coffee and the barista gets paid to serve the mechanic so she can afford to fix her leaky sink. Those jerks.

Specialization is the economy we live in and it’s no different for online as it is for offline businesses. For the same reason I’m reluctant to hire the copy writer/SEO expert/Wordpress designer/marketing expert/life coach/graphic designer, I would also not go to my vet, ask for a cup of coffee, tire rotation, cell phone plan and a taco.

By getting clear on your passions and how you serve, you too will be in the place to focus your attention and signal to others what you do, how you serve and what you believe.

Personally, I believe in supporting the growing online business that needs systems and organization to manage all the moving pieces and is willing to work in collaboration to implement solutions now. What’s your passion?