| "You ain't going nowhere, son. You ought to | | | | publisher who said yes.Their passion about |
| go back to drivin' a truck." What if Elvis | | | | their work and its message kept them going. |
| believed this Grand Ole Opry manager's | | | | Passion kept Disney and Einstein and Kipling |
| critique after his l954 performance? Or the | | | | going, too. That's because passion is the |
| Beatles listened in 1962 when Decca Recording | | | | most powerful self-motivator any of us can |
| Company responded, "We don't like their | | | | have. It's what drives us to use our talents |
| sound. Groups of guitars are on the way | | | | and abilities. It's the one criteria I've |
| out."What if Rudyard Kipling quit writing | | | | found most helpful when selecting people in |
| when the San Francisco Examiner told him, | | | | my twenty years of management. You can teach |
| "I'm sorry, but you just don't know how to | | | | most skills. But you can't teach |
| use the English language." Or as a struggling | | | | passion.People who are winning at working |
| artist, Walt Disney took seriously the words | | | | believe in themselves and their dreams. |
| of a prospective employer to "try another | | | | They're not likely to view setbacks as |
| line of work" because he "didn't have any | | | | failures, roadblocks as dead-ends, or |
| creative, original ideas."What if ten year | | | | negative critique as fatal. It's their |
| old Albert Einstein believed his teacher's | | | | passion that keeps them going when others |
| words, "you will never amount to much." Or | | | | give up. It's their passion that provides |
| opera star, Enrico Caruso, gave up singing | | | | strength of purpose, resilience, persistence |
| after his first vocal teacher counseled, | | | | and the confidence to keep trying. It's |
| "your voice sounds like wind whistling | | | | their passion that helps them differentiate |
| through a window."Thankfully, they didn't | | | | between opinion and fact about who they are |
| believe what they were told. But many of us | | | | and what they can do with their life. It's |
| do. We accept someone else's opinion as our | | | | their passion that guides them.Like Babe Ruth |
| fact. We allow others to determine what we | | | | said, "It's hard to beat a person who never |
| believe about ourselves, what we aspire to | | | | gives up." When you are passionate about your |
| achieve, what we dream and what we become. | | | | work, your dreams and your life, you don't |
| Others people's limiting beliefs about us | | | | give up.(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights |
| become our own as we give them power over our | | | | reserved.Sign up to receive Nan's free |
| life.But, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor | | | | biweekly eColumn at Nan Russell has spent |
| Hansen didn't. Their "Chicken Soup for the | | | | over twenty years in management, most |
| Soul" series, now with 65 titles, has sold | | | | recently with QVC as a Vice President. She |
| more than 80 million copies in 27 languages. | | | | has held leadership positions in Human |
| Not bad for an anthology rejected by 33 major | | | | Resource Development, Communication, |
| publishing houses in the first month, | | | | Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A. |
| receiving more than 140 total rejections | | | | from Stanford University and M.A. from the |
| before their agent gave it back to them | | | | University of Michigan. Currently working on |
| saying "I can't sell this book." Only by | | | | her first book, Winning at Working: 10 |
| going booth to booth and pitching their | | | | Lessons Shared, Nan is a writer, columnist, |
| vision to editors at a booksellers' | | | | small business owner, and on-line instructor. |
| convention did they finally find a small | | | | |