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Passion is not a commodity
Posted on December 8th, 2009 by and currently 17 commenting.So quit treating it like one. It’s not something you can buy or sell. It’s not even something that you can earn.
The word “passion” is being thrown around these days a LOT. But many are still treating people’s passion as something a company can find and then own. Find? Yes. Own? Never. Passion is not a sales transaction. It is not a four-week TV campaign or your latest sweepstakes contest.
Passion is sacred. Passion is a part of a person’s life. Their soul. It’s a part of what makes them tick. To find it, you have to clear away everything else. All the clutter and distractions of their lives. You won’t find it in a focus group that is created to talk about you and your product. You won’t find it when you do all the talking. And you won’t find it when you already think you know what you’re looking for. Passion is not something you can set a trap for and wait behind a tree until it falls for it.
Instead, passion is found in the quiet conversations that put that individual squarely in the center of your world. It’s expressed in their stories and in their emotions. Passion is a part of people’s lives and you can’t market that.
So treat people’s passions with the respect it deserves. And when you find it - when someone is willing to share it with you - then protect it. Defend it. Don’t let marketing and sales and PR take it and try to manipulate it. Because if they do, then you’ll lose the most important thing you’ve ever had.
Passion is not a commodity. It is a gift. Treat it like one.
Tags: Marketing, passion, passion is not a commodity, PR
17 Responses to “Passion is not a commodity”
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Passion is not a commodity [link to post] -
Passion is not a commodity [link to post] -
Fabulous post, Spike! Love how you put the word passion with the ideas of sacredness, respect, and protection, along with it being in the quiet, unexpected places. I agree that the word is thrown around without a deep understanding of what it means or the source of passion.
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Timely post to read…I’ve been thinking a lot of my passion—Passion is not a commodity #li [link to post] -
Well written Spike. The way we speak should dictate the way we act. but we talk a lot about passion without acting passionately.
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Check out: “Brains On Fire Blog » Passion is not a commodity”( [link to post] ) -
Donna Sellers December 8th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Powerful stuff. Totally agree it’s over-used.
A company I used to work for (nameless for these purposes) often begins job postings in the vein of “Are you passionate about the mid-market technology space?” or “Are your passionate about governmental organizations looking to streamline their back-end processes?”. While I’m sure there are a rare set of folks who do have passion for those things, it always reinforced for me the company’s lack of understanding (not to mention creativity) of how to tap into a job prospect’s enthusiasm, ‘fire’ or drive…Taking liberties here, I realize: would you consider expanding just one portion? I felt a little prick of discrimination.
(How about ‘Defend it. Don’t let marketing and sales or PR or the C-level guys or your boss or your partners or anyone or any group take it and try to manipulate it…”) -
“Passion is not a commodity. It is a gift. Treat it like one.” -@spikejones [link to post] -
Brains On Fire Blog » Blog Archive » Passion is not a commodity [link to post] -
Paul DaCruz December 9th, 2009 at 12:38 am
What timing!……….I just landed a great job becuase of my passion for classic sports cars. When you find someone with the same passion you can almost smell it on them. So, I agree. It’s not something you can buy even though many try.
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Marla Matson-Quattrone December 9th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Great post, thank you. There seems to be so much “passion” around so many hot issues lately in the news. I wish more folks would stop a moment to connect with their real, true passion — not just their anger. I think more people should grow quiet and think about what they really believe, then use their noggins to craft clever solutions, not blustery, throw-away blippity blap. Make sense?
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Passion is not a commodity: [link to post] - I couldn’t agree more -
Passion is not a commodity: [link to post] - I couldn’t agree more (via @davidlano) -
Passion is not a commodity: [link to post] - I couldn’t agree more /via @davidlano -
[...] Just noticed this wonderful post by Spike over at Brains on Fire – some very wise words that add an important focus to the [...]
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[...] Passion is not a commodity by Spike Jones on Brains On Fire Blog [...]
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Passion is not a commodity. It is a gift. Treat it like one.[link to post]
