I recently read an interesting set of statistics:
More than 50% of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies had a C or C- grade point average in college
Nearly 75% of all US Presidents were in the bottom half of their school classes
More than 50% of all millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college
This tells me a few things about success, significance, and passion.
Success is not necessarily tied to whether you earned a college degree. Sure, in many situations it will help you land a job. In certain industries a college degree may hold more value than others (i.e. Engineering, Medical Doctor, Pharmacist, etc.). There are situations where you want to be sure that those who are fulfilling specific roles have been well educated.
Significance is not tied up in a 40 hour a week job, then going home to dinner and an evening of watching television. If you want to have an impact on the lives around you it takes hard work, effort, and a determined persistence towards setting and achieving goals that serve you, your family, coworkers, customers, and community.
Passion is something that should drive your pursuit of success and significance. I do not mean passion that is seen at sporting events where you cheer your team. I am referring to a passion that drives you to do things…things that make a difference for yourself and others.
This passion helps you pursue the need to stay physically fit, press on in personal relationships, seek wisdom in financial matters, gain knowledge that helps you improve, and diving deep into spiritual matters that inform your passions. I could have a passion to coach in the NFL, but I do not spend a significant portion of my lifetime actively seeking the drivers mentioned above, then I will have no chance or opportunity to fulfill that passion.
If you truly love what you are doing, you will be passionate about pursuing greatness in that area!
Some things to think about when you consider just what your passionate about:
Passion is the first step to achievement - without passion you will be unwilling to continue during the difficult times
Passion increases your will power - you will be more driven to do the right thing and do things right
Passion changes you - others will see the joy you express when meeting one set of goals and setting a new set.
Passion makes the impossible, possible - As you seek to improve each day, over time you will be able to look back and see that you have accomplished far more that you had first imagined.
After reading this…take some time to think…pause to reflect. In your profession, how “on-fire” are you for what you do? Was there something in your past that had driven your passions more strongly, if so what can you do to return to those things that caused you to love what you do?
I have mentioned this in various other writings. Find a mentor! Not just anyone, but someone who is passionate about what they are doing. Someone who has achieved many of the same things you would like for yourself. Someone who will have your interests in mind as they help you to stay focused on your passions.