Another question...

I'm passionate about sitting on the back porch on a sunny day with a glass of iced tea.

I haven't found a way to monetize that passion either.

Hmmm...I don't know, Kim. I have a real passion for knitting, although I don't have too much time to actually do it these days. But I can think of half a dozen ways off the top of my head that I could monetize that passion, membership sites being a big number one on the top of that list.

Guess it depends on what you're passionate about!

I agree with Lisa. It really depends on what you are passionate about. i'm a dog lover. I'm sure i can make money online from that niche.

Some people know what they are passionate about and some people don't.

I think most people don't.

Not everybody has an interest or hobby that can be turned into a profitable blog.

I think that's a myth.

Not everyone is willing to put themselves out there - either - hoping against hope that the branding of their own DNA (Gary V style) will bring the money, fame and happiness.

Because people are damn lazy at heart, but find what they enjoy and they have an endless amount of desire to do it.

Would you rather do something you hate? that sucks balls? no.. sure you could make money but there are a lot of people doing that and dying early deaths due to stress and heart attacks.

Focus on what you would love to do, writing, marketing, sports.. whatever it may be.

You only have limited amount of time on this damn planet. You can do it following your heart or you can do it bitching about the work you do.

If it helps think of Passion as Interest

That covers a lot more

I guess it depends on how you define passion.

I think those who preach following a passion wouldn't consider sitting on the porch or sitting in a jacuzzi as passions.

Passions are what MOVES you, not what makes you sit around doing nothing. Passions are things like climbing mountains, surfing, running, racing and even knitting or scrapbooking. They are motions, not lack of motion.

They are things that excite you, not lull you into slumber. It is possible to be excited by jacuzzis. I knew a guy who was passionate about them. Passion isn't what described him sitting in a jacuzzi though. Passion is what described how he would steer every conversation to hot tubs and how they excited him. How he knew every method of sterilizing water and ever feature of every major manufacturer.

I don't know about Internet marketing, but it's good life advice to follow your passions. It makes life a lot more fun when you don't have to split your time between "work" time and "passion" time.

Coz when you're passionate, it's easier to stick with what you're doing until you get successful at it.

My 'Passion Manifesto' has more - ChangeThis :: Passion Manifesto

All success
Dr.Mani

I have a friend who is passionate about playing the guitar but he is tone deaf.

Look at all of the passionate people trying to make it on American Idol.

It's great if you have the skills to turn it into a business. But knowledge and ability are more important to running a business than passion.

Passion makes it more enjoyable and if you have the ability or skill to operate a business passionately you are likely to invest more into it. Thus improving your odds at succeeding. But passion alone is worthless when it comes to accomplishing anything without ability.

I could be very passionate about crossing the ocean but if I drop my boat in the Salt Lake in Utah, it ain't gonna happen.

Matt

I think the obvious answer is because they're copycatting the advice found in several books that were popular in the 90's, but those books were more often about being happy rather than making money.

You can follow your passions, at least some of them, and be happy and make money...the questions is, how much money? Some passions don't pay very well. If you can accept that, be passionate and be happy.

Maybe in an ideal world you could turn your passion directly into a business opportunity. Some folk are lucky enough to do that successfully. This is where, I believe, the advice of turning your passion into a business stems from.

But I think the message has got lost in translation somewhere along the way.

I strongly advocate being passionate within your business. Passionate about offering excellent value, outstanding service and incredible products. Passionate about communicating your message, remaining authentic and having fun.

You may be passionate about making money, personally that one's not on my passion list. Passionate about being successful is.

As long as you're congruent with your passions then there's a massive place for them in your business.


Peter

If you can find a way to get paid for something you're passionate about, you never have to work another day in your life.

Do you really have a passion for sitting in the jacuzzi, or do you just enjoy it? Could you do it for most of the day, every day, for the rest of your life?

A true passion is something you would be doing anyway if you could, regardless of whether you got paid.

If you have found just one thing you're passionate about, you're lucky. Most people never do. If you've found something you're passionate about that you can get paid for, why would you do anything else?

Good answers here. I agree with many of them. And like some others, I always tell folks to START with their passions and interests. Then the next step is to discover if they can find a way to make those passions/interests profitable.

In other words, follow your "passion" if it also leads to profit. You'll be so much happier -- and motivated.

Cheers,
Becky

I think this is tied in some ways to what you posted earlier about what newbies really want. I think telling people to pursue their passion is somewhat tied up in that "sell the dream" angle because it's what people want to hear. You can make all the money you need doing what you love. Who DOESN'T wish that were true?

Now that's not to say it CAN'T come true. Check out that thread Ken Preuss started yesterday and watch the Gary Vaynerchuk video in it. In there he talks about how the internet now allows people to be genuine and actually find and connect to the exact audience that already would like you if you met them incidentally.

The web lets anyone draw a crowd. Having command of a crowd is monetizable. So now more than ever, it's more likely that a passion can sustain a living. But it's not 100% guaranteed, or even the best choice for some.

Most stuff I'm passionate about would cease being fun if I was obligated to do it. But it depends on the work involved.

You know what the best thing to do is? Develop a passion for helping people solve their problems, and you can use that to make a living pretty much in any "niche" you decide.

@Matt I don't agree. (Imagine that!)

Couldn't passion push you to learn the necessary things so that you can fully enjoy, yet also monetize, that passion?

@Colin YES! Exactly!

hmm I have a passion for caring for needy animals (particularly fostering rescued dogs), working with dogs, horses and other animals. I suppose I could find some way to monitize that, but it really is a non-profit sort of thing.

Ok I admit my tongue was very firmly in cheek when I wrote about jaccuzis etc and I do take the point that some passions could be monetised.

One of my "passions" is horses, and I have an adsense site dedictated to these which brings me in a small (very small) adsense income. If I did a bit more work on it, I'm sure it would bring in more.

What I'm trying to say albeit badly is that it seems to be the one answer so many people trot out. "Follow your passion"

If your lucky, your passion may be marketable, however it most probably isn't.

Just be careful about the advice given, it's not always the right type

Kim

If you want to get passionate... get passionate about the marketing process

Then it doesnt matter what the product or the niche is

When I first started IM, I was taught NOT to follow your passion unless that is going to create you a solid income...our products are NOT related to my passions but that is because we found markets that were more lucrative! Its more about finding what you are going to be able to make money doing. So as much as I believe you love what you are doing, I don't think you have to be completely passionately about the topic....or just learn to be!

The only reason people suggest you go with something you are passionate about is that they assume it is something you will enjoy doing so you will put a lot of time and effort into it. I personally do not think this should limit you.

You can succeed in any niche as long as it is profitable and you put all your efforts into it. I do not think the people who succeed with dating sites actually date a lot. You can put your mind to doing something and make it big.

It doesn't matter if you are in the IM niche or an offline business as when the preasure comes it will be your passion that pulls you through.

Me I am passionate about my many charity programs I run and my online business simply fuels my passion.

So many get this wrong as they think you need to be passionate about your business.

If you read any biographies of successful business people you will find they are passionate about something and this is what drives.

95% of people fail online simply because they never found a passion.

Just making money is a lousy motivator and to really take the bull by the horns you need to be passionate about something.

Now Kim your passion is sitting in the jaccuzi doing absolute nothing and having done this you will find that the passion will quickly wain. It sounds really good but we both know after doing that for a few days the novelty wears off.

Passion is about something greater than you.

It is what keeps you going when nothing else will.

It is not necessarily being passionate about your business but the things it will allow you to do.

Quentin

Fascinating discussion. When it comes to Passion, I believe in the concept of "Know Thyself". You need to understand what drives YOU to follow through on what it will *really* take to create a successful business.

For me personally, I am extremely driven by Passion. I need to be passionate about what I'm doing and who I'm serving, otherwise my motivation and follow-through is ZILCH. I understand this about myself and I constantly use it to do what is required to make things happen.

I always tell people "Find a customer audience you can fall in love with". Why? Because your entire livelihood will be a by-product of *serving* that audience. If you really care about them, you'll work WAY harder to bring value to that customer than 99% of the other businesses serving them.

Finally, I don't believe that most people lack passion. It's that they don't relate to themselves as having passion about anything. I find in many cases they've either not allowed themselves to experience being passionate about a topic or audience, or they've simply been conditioned out of it by society, circumstances, etc.

Nothing wrong with that, although I'm personally an outspoken advocate about finding your passion. Mainly for the reason Dr. Mani mentioned: you'll be spending TONS more time building a business than you ever will at any job. You might as well truly love what you're doing, or who you're serving, or ideally both.

Ken

Then again...

Ask Social media branding guys & gals like Gary Vaynerchuk that question...
FORA.tv - CRUSH IT!: Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk - Google Search=

Dave

I agree, go with an interest unless you can find a passion to make money off of.