How to Coach Yourself and Others Happiness Is No Accident | Page 10

LOVE WHAT YOU DO - A KEY INGREDIENT FOR
SUCCESS
by Donald J. Trump, Chairman, Trump University
There is an ingredient for success that is often overlooked, maybe because it sounds out of place in
business lingo. But I know for a fact that it is absolutely necessary to achieve any kind of long
lasting success, and I know this from experience. That ingredient is passion.
Enthusiasm on a big scale equals passion. If you don’t have passion, everything you do will fizzle
out, or be mediocre, at best. You have to love what you’re doing in order to make it in a big time
way. People with passion never give up, because they’ll never have a reason to give up, no matter
what their circumstances might be. It’s an intangible momentum that can make you indomitable.
Another way to see this clearly is to realize that passion conquers fear. This is an important fact
when considering achievement of any sort. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Every great and
commanding movement in the annals of the world is the triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was
ever achieved wit hout it.” I agree. Think about that statement and keep it close to you.
Next, assess your interests. What do you love doing? What is your imagination presenting to you?
Can you develop any of these interests into a viable source of income? Can you come up with a
personal blueprint? Do you have a foundation in place, or in the works, for this blueprint? Ask
yourself these questions, cover your bases, and then move forward. Without momentum, you will
simply be daydreaming.
Very often the dividing line between success and failure is a lack of passion. I’ve known people
who have had fantastic ideas who can’t seem to get them off the ground because they approach
everything passively. They think the idea will somehow get off the ground by itself, or that just
coming up with the idea is enough. Let me tell you something—it’s not enough. It will never be
enough. You have to put the idea into action. And if you don’t have the motivation or enthusiasm
to do it yourself, it’s likely your great idea will sit on top of your desk or inside your head for a
long time to come.
The pursuit of happiness is a proactive endeavour. People need to cultivate interests and explore
their own skills and talents to really find out what they love. But it doesn’t end there. People
interested in happiness—and who isn’t?—must also discover or create outlets to enhance and
sustain their passions.
Happiness, as a function of loving what you do, is a complex phenomenon that encompasses
temperament, talents, and deep-rooted personality traits. There’s a lot to sort out, but it’s more than
worth the effort because you can’t fix problems you don’t understand. A good self-evaluation,
undertaken through a formal assessment that’s based on validated, statistical sampling, can go a
long way toward helping one learn just what it is that makes him/her happy, and finding a suitable
career.
Passion is a catalyst. Use it to your advantage and you can start achieving tremendous things.
Whatever you do, don’t overlook or underestimate this important ingredient for success. It can take
you to some amazing places!
Hope to see you there.

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