The Greatest Success Secret: Follow Your Passion

The Greatest Success Secret: Follow Your Passion
Written by Bryce Smith

Let your Passion be the reason for your existence, your successes the product of your persistence, and your indomitable will, the unstoppable  fuel that drives you daily. Never settle for ordinary, when extraordinary is within your reach. Create your fun and LIVE your passion. Bottom line… NEVER stop being you.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is to not be afraid to ask for help. Take advice from those who are older and wiser than you. Or, as my dad used to say, take advice from those who “have been around the block a few times.” You see, growing up, I had an older brother and I thought I KNEW IT ALL! Well, he was always there to remind me that I did not know it all. And so this idea of looking to others for help became engrained in me at a young age. You will see later why I am sharing this tidbit of information with you.

So this is a very important post for me, as I want everyone to have the ability to create their most passionate life. Any passion you go for is a two sided coin of both excitement and doubt; passion and fear. If you aren’t terrified of what you are going for, then maybe it’s not really your passion. A few days ago I was reading a few articles at a coffee shop and I began chitchatting with an older, wiser fellow. He told me how he once had the opportunity to interview the CEO of Coca-Cola, and he asked him, “What is the one thing different between becoming the CEO, or just somebody else that works for the company?” The answer he gave was, “The ability to ask for help.” The greatest achievers are really good at asking for help; in life and in fitness.

This man that I met at the coffee shop had a few stories that I would like to share with all of you. He explained to me how a college student approached him one time, couldn’t have been older than 20 years old, and he takes out a deck of cards. The kid said, “Can I show you a card trick?” BOW POW WOW! What an extraordinary trick it was. This kid was as good as David Blaine and he’s so young. So the older man made an assumption and said, “Hey, so you’re gonna be a magician when you graduate?” And the kid said, “No, I’m gonna be an engineer. My dad said you can make like $55,000 a year as a starting salary as an engineer.” The man said, “But when you do magic, it makes you come alive!” The kid said, “Yah, around here, people call me Magic Dave.” The man said, “Son, I am suggesting to you that your greatest life lies in what makes you come alive. Go for your magic. I will mentor you, and my friend Mike, who makes a six figure living doing magic, will help mentor you as well.” But there was no talking “Magic Dave” out of his fear. He had made up his mind about his personal path rather than doing what makes him come alive. So the man said goodbye to Magic Dave.

A little over a year later, the man checks his email and he sees that he has an email from Magic Dave. Magic Dave explains how he got an excellent job at an engineering firm with a starting salary of $58,000, which is exactly what he wanted. However, the remainder of the email said this, word for word: “I hate my life. I never understood how horrific life after college could be if you don’t love what you are doing. I make good money. TRUST ME, REALLY GOOD. But it’s not making a difference because I am miserable. I was writing you today to ask if you could help me think of other jobs I might enjoy. Sincerely, Magic Dave.”

Well, the man wrote back saying: Dear Magic Dave, Look at your freakin’ name.

When the man told me this story, it hit me hard. So many people get stuck working 9-to-5 jobs that they hate. Let me tell you something; the more you’re meant to do it, the more it makes you come alive, and the more it is going to scare you. Your greatest life is inside of you. You must follow your bliss and do what you were born to do. We should ask kids not what they want to be when the grow up, but rather, “What did you come here to do?” If you are called to do something from the heart, even if you are not good at doing it, you ARE capable of doing it. And there are enormous rewards for you when you trust yourself and go for it. The greatest success secret I can share with you is, “Your Bliss Grows Miracles.” Your best life ever is hidden in the feeling behind your passion.