What could you talk about for hours with an energetic smile on your face? What do you find yourself doing even when no one is watching? What drives you so much that you would do it for free? Those are the things you should be doing every single day. It’s not just good for your personal sanity; it works wonders for your career.
There is a reason that you like the things you like and do the things you do. Once you discover the underlying theme that connects all of your passions and experiences in your life, you will be able to confidently stand out in any crowd and bring your gifts to every room you enter.
Ready to start sharing your passions with your colleagues? Here are six ways integrating your passion into your career can make you stand out.
1. Heightened Sense of Self-Awareness.
When you understand what your passion is, you have a strategic competitive advantage over those who have no idea what they want. You can be more intentional; you can build your reputation faster. When you know who you are and understand why your passion is an integral part of your professional package, you gain more credibility in the workplace and become a topic during company talent pipeline discussions.
2. Higher Productivity & Higher Performance Metrics.
When you do what you love and are willing to invest the time to get better, your work quality becomes your social proof of what you are capable of. You bring brilliant ideas to the table that allow you to continuously improve performance and meet the demands of stakeholders. Passion allows you to perform at higher rates because you love what you are doing and love the process of creating work that is more valuable than it was yesterday.
3. Company Gains Recognition.
A good company understands the value that an employee filled with passion brings to the table. You can teach a person a job description, but you can’t teach a person passion. Therefore, they will do whatever it takes to ensure that the employee is doing the things they love so that they can bring their best self to the workplace. Why? Someone who exudes passion for something and is good at what they do will receive public recognition. When an individual employee is recognised, the company gains recognition too. A good company will value the untraditional pieces of you–this is their competitive advantage! When you bring your full self–your talents, gifts, and passions–every one wins.
4. Rewarding Assignments.
A company may not have any idea that they are missing something in their operations until someone points it out. When you tell your company about your passion and how it adds value to the company, you may be led to unique assignments and access to high-level decision makers in the workplace. The more exposure you receive, the more value you are able to add to a company; your success is directly linked to your ability to add impeccable value wherever you go.
5. You are Happier.
When you are doing what you love, happiness is a natural side effect. You exude positive energy that makes everyone around you excited to work with you. While most of the employees are stressed, bored, or anxious to punch the clock at 5PM, you are passionately working on ways to make your task results something that you and the company can be proud of. Don’t think this goes unnoticed. Everyone remembers quality work that is delivered with a good attitude.
6. Inspire and Empower Others.
When your presence inspires and empowers others, the company wants you around. Your passion can positively transform the work culture. When you are filled with passion, you unconsciously give others permission to find out what sets their soul on fire. And when you can help others discover a piece of their career potential that they never knew existed, you will always be remembered.
