Article by Nancy MacKay, originally published on Forbes.com
Passion mastery for CEOs is about identifying your strengths, understanding your purpose, and clearly defining your why. By leveraging deep self-knowledge, you can show up each day ready to make the biggest contribution in all areas of your life. Without this anchor, even the most successful CEOs can find themselves empty and directionless. Purpose-driven motivation also sustains CEOs through the inevitable challenges that come with leadership, ensuring sustainable, lasting careers that don’t burn out.
Why Success Isn’t Enough
I once coached a founder CEO who had recently sold his business for hundreds of millions of dollars and successfully transitioned out of the business. He had achieved his goal of financial freedom at the age of 55. Yet he said he had never been so depressed in his entire life. I asked him, “What would make you jump out of bed in the morning with the same amount of passion and energy that you had before you sold your business?”
He didn’t need long to think of a reply. He decided that if he let his noncompete run out and started a new business in the same industry, he could get his passion and energy back—and build something even bigger. That’s exactly what he did, and he went back to living his dream.
How to Unlock Passion Mastery for CEOs
If you live your life with passion, you will become unstoppable in all aspects of your life. But without passion, even the finish line feels empty. I often work with CEOs who come to me feeling lost or burned out. To get them back on track, I start by bringing them back to three simple questions:
- What does success look like?
- What do you really want?
- What is your purpose?
These three questions are a daily practice, a habit that anchors you in your purpose throughout the day. Asking them regularly helps you stay in your positive, inspired brain. Instead of starting the day thinking about problems, you start by thinking about what inspires you and why you’re here—in short, why you jump out of bed that morning.
Read the article on forbes.com
