Is your Heart in It? 5 Ways to know

“When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible. Unknown. Have you ever met anyone like this person who has tapped the ‘deep well where passion lives’? They have that quiet energy, that charisma that tells you that they have found the secret. They are living in a place where knowledge, skills and talent are all working in perfect harmony, passionately pursuing their dreams. Have you met someone like that? Are you someone like that? It’s wonderful to be in their presence isn’t it? Their energy just makes you smile.

Knowledge is the stuff that you learn. Skills are the things you learn to do. Talent is a God-given gift that you have, and can harness. When all three are working in concert, you have found your passion sweet spot. You have found what you were put on this planet to do; what indelible mark you are to make on others in this world. It’s magical to find that zone.

How do you know if you are hitting that sweet spot? Five things will tell you:

You are good at it. You like it. You are energized by it. You are propelled to do it. People are blessed by you when you do it.

It takes hitting all five of these things to really know you are in your passion place. There are things for which you are skilled, but they may not give you energy. I have never liked chess. My brother loves it. Guess which one of us is good at it?

In many cases, you like something because you are good at it; but, not always. Sometimes you are good at something but you don’t enjoy it and it doesn’t give you energy. I can write grants, but I don’t love writing grants. So, it is a skill to rely on, but not one for which to build my career upon. I love facilitation. I am good at it, and I get energy from it. So, I do it as much as I can.

I think that the most important thing on the list above is that people are blessed when you do it. Nothing makes you feel more satisfied than knowing that you have helped and blessed people with your gifts, talents and service. That’s what propels you to do it. Knowing that it doesn’t just make you feel good to serve with your gifts, but that your service benefits others.

“Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.” - Unknown

P.S. The Heart: passion for your work is one of the body parts that will be worked in the Leadership Anatomy Woman’s Retreat: The Body of Skills you Need to Bring your Dream to Life; November 17-21, 2010 in the Sonoma Valley of California. For more information Click http://bit.ly/IY8Cp.