Ignite Your Passion
Passion is akin to inspiration, motivation, excitement, mojo, and enthusiasm for the present and the future. When you have passion for something, it makes you feel alive (which is a great feeling). You no longer experience a mundane view of the world. Obstacles don’t stop you. Your courage and energy level are revved up!
The Vital Role of Passion in Public Speaking
Speakers without passion are dull and lifeless and are great for putting an audience to sleep. On the other hand, when you are passionate about your topic and audience, your audience can feel it. Your passion can be inspiring and motivating.
Passion as the Key to Persistence
No passion = eventually giving up! When you are just doing something for the money, especially public speaking, and not passionate about speaking or your topic, you will eventually tire of your message.
"There’s no mojo where there’s no passion."
Passion is the fuel that will skyrocket your persistence!
Rediscovering Your Passion
Remember the Austin Powers’ movie where he loses his mojo and “has to get it back?” Just like Austin Powers, have you ever “lost” your passion in a way where you feel like you don’t have a passion for anything? It happened to me when I lost a job that I loved many years ago. I felt “lost,” adrift, searching without really knowing where to look.
Fueling Your Future with Passion
The day that I made a simple list of all the things that I love in life was a turning point. I looked at the list and got really excited! I asked myself, “How can I combine all of the things on this list into a career?” Without figuring out how to do it (I was enthused and not knowing how was not going to stop my new mojo), I came up with an idea for a humanitarian news agency called NOWW News and a TV network called NOWW TV.NOWW stands for Network Of What’s Working
The premise is focusing on the things that work in the world and that are solving our most dire problems, like poverty, homelessness, crime, human trafficking, domestic violence, and creating thriving communities. Whatever you focus on, your life becomes that, so let’s focus on these solutions so we can expand on them everywhere. I was combining my limitless love for making a difference, my limitless love (and incredible skill) for puzzles and troubleshooting, and my insatiable curiosity with my love for film/TV/movies and communication. This combination gets me inspired just writing about it! I wasn’t sure how to create the TV network, so I created my speaker coaching business as a stepping stone towards TV programming and am still on my path to create NOWW TV. I have since created a group, NOWW Network of What's Working, and a page on Facebook called NOWW News and am planning to start a podcast that will feature some of the brightest minds who are solving our most dire issues!
Passion and the Future
Do you see that passion is about the future? When you have a passion for something, it’s about creating something in the future. Passion for something is a “calling forth.” It’s about something happening now and it continually inspires YOU. Your passion is your true north, your true joy.
Proverbs 29:18 - A Visionary Connection
Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Vision and passion go hand in hand to create a future that inspires, motivates, and captures people’s imagination. Keeping Your Message Fresh
While you are contemplating your future as a public speaker, you can keep your message fresh by ensuring you are igniting your passion, which is your true mojo. If you have you lost your mojo and would like a little help with identifying your true passion or just getting back, then try this simple exercise: Make a list of everything you love in life, without judging any of it. For example, a friend of mine loves to do laundry! No matter how trivial a thing, if you love it, list it.
Then take a look at your list and see how just looking at it inspires you. Then ask yourself this question, "How can I create my life so all of this is in it?" Perhaps you’ll find a whole new twist to your next speaking engagement (or your career or life!).
Thank you for taking the time to explore the transformative power of passion in public speaking. Have you experienced a moment where your passion fueled your speaking journey? I would love to hear your stories, insights, and thoughts in the comments below. Let's inspire each other on this exciting path to confident and impactful public speaking!