Business success is not just about having more clients and making more money. Countless businesses have done both for years – decades even – before plummeting into oblivion or bankruptcy. Just ask Sears, KMart, Sports Authority, Circuit City … we could spend all day on this.
The real key to business success is to win every day. You need to do more than just exist on a daily basis, you need to reaffirm both your reason to exist and your superiority as a choice over the competition. Every day. Let even a single day go by ambivalent, and you will soon discover how easy a habit nonchalance and mediocrity can become.
If you want to stay out of that trap, you need to keep your passion alive and your focus centered on being the best at whatever it is that sets you apart.
Avoid getting stuck in the rut of manageable operations. Sure, it sounds good to have your systems all figured out, but by the time you’ve implemented everything, you can be sure the world has moved on. There’s a competitor out there doing it better than you are, and they are gaining on you. Stay comfortable long enough and they will pass you.
You may make something everyone loves and needs right now. But will they love it and need it tomorrow? There’s a meme floating around the Internet that shows everything that used to be on an average office desk and now fits in your pocket courtesy of your smartphone. Many associated companies that used to make those other products are suffering. Some of them are trying to diversify or change direction altogether. Others waited too long and faded away.
Passion keeps you fresh and alert, engaged in your work and aware of market forces changing things even as your business is humming along. As you stay on top of things, you will find yourself able to make tweaks here and there, while keeping your finger on the pulse in order to anticipate any abrupt tidal shifts in your industry.
Passion will also keep you hungry for doing things better and for doing more of the things that make you better. While complacency hinders your ability to improve on your current capacity, passion demands more of you and everyone around you. Never lose that. In fact, feed it as much as possible. Never let your “want to” starve. Keep it healthy and growing, and you will find yourself in the best position for long-term success.
