“Where there’s passion…

…there’s usually excellence.” In a post of that title, Matt Buchanan at Rethink(IP) recounts this life lesson learned from his father.

I’ve learned to appreciate the value of that one time and again over the years…in all aspects of life. Basically, it’s a shortcut (he had plenty of those, too, much to my mother’s chagrin). While excellence is something that is extremely difficult to measure based on outcomes, passion is easily perceived and, as dad’s advice tells us, it’s a darn good predictor of excellence. …

So there’s the shortcut. If you want excellence – in a house painter, an author, or, egads, a lawyer – but you don’t have the time or desire to actually measure excellence, go ahead and take a shortcut: look for passion. Let your gut lead the way. More often than not, it will point you directly toward excellence.

Next time you go out, keep an eye out for passion. It could be at a seemingly mundane place like the grocery store, fast-food joint, or car wash. Or maybe some ‘high-end’ activity like finding a landscaper for some home improvement. Everywhere you go, you will be able to tell the people who are just going through the motions, and the people that have put their heart into it.

This is also something to think about not only when you are looking for someone to do something for you, but when you are trying to get someone to hire you to do something for them.

Does your passion show through?