American journalist and author Hunter Thompson once said that, “Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.”

What Hunter is alluding to is passion with a capital P. Its passion – defined as a strong or powerful emotion, intense affection or love – which has the unparalleled ability to drive entrepreneurs and business owners to create, to build, and to achieve the seemingly unachievable. Passion can be the power engine that pushes us to set impressive goals, hit the ground running day after day after day, and overcome barriers and adversity to succeed in building thriving legacy businesses.

But, if you’re not careful, it can also be the hidden stone in the path that causes you to stumble. Passionate entrepreneurs and business owners can be so blinded by their grand visions that they lose the clarity and focus necessary to devise strategies and execute plans necessary to achieve them. When a person is all passion and no planning, their dreams can become futile.

So, what does the passionate entrepreneur, salesperson or business owner have to do to ensure that they govern their passions and are not governed by them?

1. Have a game plan. If you’re truly passionate about a goal, and are serious about wanting to achieve it, you need to have an action plan. This is true of athletic goals – you can’t run a long-distance marathon if you haven’t been training hard, getting enough sleep and eating right. It’s equally true of your professional goals. If you want to “Double-Plus” your income this year or increase your prospect calls by 20% next quarter, you need an action plan complete with measurable goals and milestones.
2. Aim for Accountability. Sticking to a strategic, calculated action plan week after week, month after month can be challenging. It requires great personal discipline as well as the right mindset. Those who are truly committed to realizing the goals about which they are so passionate seek out a respected accountability partner. Accountability partners meet with you regularly, hold your feet to the fire and ensure you are doing what you set out to do. At Celeste Giordano Coaching , I speak with my clients twice a week to reflect on their progress, discuss strategy and make adjustments when necessary to achieve outstanding results.
3. Create a Healthy Balance. Too often, when we don’t control our passions, they control us. If you become so consumed by your business that other areas of your life begin to suffer, you have a serious imbalance in your life. Don’t let your professional passions hurt your personal relationships. Make time for friends, family and physical activity.
4. A Greater Purpose. When your passions – driven by an action plan, accountability and a healthy work-life balance – yield success, don’t forget to pay it forward. Our passions are best utilized when they serve others. This has many applications. You can use the fruit of your labour to reward the hard work of your team members or treat your loved ones. Also importantly, make sure to use your passions to serve your community. Contribute your time or resources to community organizations whose missions you respect and value.I serve on the Board of Directors as the Secretary for the Heart of Gwinnett. This year, our focus is raising money for Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds homes for community members in need. I also volunteer in a fabulous mentorship program for a group of young female athletes at Berry college. The fulfillment I get from these volunteer engagements is immeasurable.
5. Learn from the Best. Remember to learn how to effectively capitalize on your passions from those who have already been wildly successful at doing so. Familiarize yourself with the trainings and educational materials of those individuals who you most respect. Early in my career, I carried a motivational or educational book around with me at all times and devoured them whenever I had a spare moment.

Today, my husband Mike and I keep countless motivational books, a bible, inspiring inspirational quotes and achievement awards in our home. When you surround yourself with powerful words, inspiration and wisdom, it will give you the continued will power and drive necessary to realize your goals.

Navigating your passions is lifelong work. Personally, I learned much about passion from my first motivational mentor, Zig Ziglar. Ziglar, an incredibly successful salesman, author and motivational speaker, described his own passion as a “passion to positively impact your life by persuading you that you are endowed with the seeds of greatness and that when you use what you’ve got you can do great things.”

I grew up determined to nurture my own passions, talents and seeds of greatness within me, motivated by the wisdom and confidence that my mentors instilled in me. When you believe you have seeds of greatness within you, you have unlimited opportunity to be successful and achieve great things.

If you’re reading this article, I’ll bet you have a passion you’re driven to pursue or that you’re already actively pursuing. To use that passion to “Double-Plus” your income this year and ultimately build a legacy business, you need to follow a proven program. At Celeste Giordano Coaching, in our Legacy Business Blueprint webinar, we teach clients the proven strategies which I have used in my 35+ years of business and sales to achieve success.

If you are passionate about what you do, count yourself as lucky. But remember, passion alone is not enough. You need to learn to use your passions as fuel to achieve greatness. I challenge you to take the action steps necessary to bring your passions out of the clouds and integrate them into your daily life.