You've got to love what you do…or do ya? H/T to @JasonFried!

We all know this lady, right? Iconic Tina Turner had some insight when she sang, “What’s love, but a second-hand emotion?” When we think about our businesses, we’re supposed to absolutely love what we do… right? According to Jason Fried’s article in Inc. magazine , that kind of thinking might contain a little bit of BS.

I applaud Jason for challenging our way of thinking though. If I’ve said it once on this blog, I’ve said it a hundred times: I don’t want a love fest, folks. I want people to share different ways of thinking, feeling and experiencing our roles as financial service professionals. I happen to love what I do NOW, but I didn’t at first. There’s the real truth.

“People tend to romanticize their own motivations and histories.” Jason points out in this article that opportunities come from challenges. In theory, we pretty much have to NOT like something we’ve experienced, to motivate us enough to change it and build on it. That’s what creates a successful business. As we master it, we then can grow to love the difference we’ve made, the career we’ve built, but I have to give Jason accolades because he’s right. It’s very rare that people wake up one day in love with an idea and say, “Yep – I’m building a business from this big ol’ beautiful love fest I’m feeling and will stay in love with it enough to keep making a difference in people’s lives.” Blech – that just doesn’t even sound enticing at all!

For me, I didn’t like the under-representation of the financial service marketplace on social media. More than two years ago, I set out on a mission to change this perception. I’ve been blessed to work with thousands of financial advisors who have seen a difference in their business due to the work I’ve done with them. This has meant countless hours away from other functions that I had an interest in, but the challenge of making a difference, creating opportunities for them to be seen and to engage with people they would have never met otherwise has been the reward. The love grew over time and I’m glad I’m doing what I do each day.

So, what’s love got to do with it? It’s second-hand to the difference we are trying to make in our respective community’s lives. I am grateful for people like Jason Fried to challenge the status quo of long-time revered pieces of business advice to get us to see the bigger picture. It’s not love that should have anything to do with it, but a better understanding of WHY you want to do this and building on it.

Be bigger, better and more BIONIC today!