Those who I have been involved with interviewing and who have been hired? The ones that had drive outperformed and outstayed the ones who were perfectly capable of complying.
Word cues like “I want to” or “I love” or “I’m passionate about” outweigh phrases like “I can do” or “I would do anything if asked” or “I’m willing to jump in.”
The same goes for relationships, too. When one expresses how they want to be the best mother possible or when one shares how much they appreciate one another every day.
Having drive beats being ready to comply every time.
Oh, and I guess drive isn’t something you have it’s a choice.
At an economic level, most breweries are competing with one another. Bars and bottle shops, too. They’re competing with grocery stores and online beer delivery services as well.
But that’s about finances; which most breweries don’t look outward when evaluating.
Instead they look inward: Can we support ourselves? Can we keep delivering remarkable beer to guests? Can we do right by our beer and good by our people? Others don’t matter when you’re competing with yourself.
Alas, it’s the lack of competition that I’ve always valued about the beer industry. There’s mutual respect for one another and a general understanding that if there’s not enough shelf space for everyone…build more shelf space.
Seth Godin has written about this same observation with authors. Instead of hating on each other; they purchase each other’s work, offer each other their resources and blurb each other’s books.
Certainly there are other industries to be in that work similar to beer and books. If you’re not happy with the industry you’re in, it might be worth seeking one out.
Not only do you get to do more meaningful work when you’re not competing; you get to feel different tensions and challenges (not easier, just different).
Otherwise, total respect for fighting the good fight of trying to shift an industry that’s based on competition. Put your company’s window next to that company’s door; pair that brand’s shoes with that brand’s shorts.
What’s important is that we don’t stand still in an industry; we don’t let competition force us to comply.
And, in case it’s worth mentioning: this same philosophy applies when you’re looking at what school to attend, what neighborhood to live in, which nonprofit to volunteer at, which street to open a business in, and which online group to contribute to.
Ironically, competition isn’t the path to winning.
Passion for work, a project or home repair isn’t something you’re born with and it can’t be forced upon you.
Loving what you do is always a choice. The choice to see things more deeply, to observe how the actions you take benefit others, to find problem solving fun.
Loving what you do may even be more difficult than what you do; but it’s far more worth it.
Stay Positive & That’s The Path To Doing What You Love
We all share a human connection, and it’s important to remember that when we think we’re the only one who feels something or goes through something.
When we feel something good and go through someone positive that no one else does, it leads to elitism. No good.
More often though, we think of ourselves as the only ones who are experiencing something bad, something negatively emotional, stressful or frustrating.
“No one else is going through what I’m going through.”
By recognizing that others actually are and do feel the same, that’s when you can find some balance. Note, it doesn’t negate the emotions, it merely balances them out with reality. (Misery loves company and there’s always company.)
Think of it akin to being in a classroom and having a question. You’re stressed and afraid to ask the teacher the question because you don’t want to look dumb. But you know you need to know to finish the assignment. And if you don’t, it’s going to put you behind in the class and your parents will be upset and you might have to retake the class in the summer. Oof.
All the sudden, someone else raises their hand. Asks the question you were afraid to ask. And you notice relief wash over not only yourself – but all the other students in the room, too.
In the moment, it felt like your world was being crushed by not knowing the answer to the question, but really the world of everyone in the class was being crushed.
Everyone around us has discomforts and pain, and we can find inner balance by recognizing it.
When we compare ourselves to others and think things like we’re the only ones to experience a mistake, a pulled back, a miscarriage or the weight of shifts in our culture – we’re lying to ourselves and feeling worse because of it.
The internet is working against you. Too many options, too many voices, too much noise, too many people and brands asking you to do things.
Could you imagine if “Yes Man” was based in the present digital age?
It’s impossible for people to take every action they read on twitter or convert on every website they visit.
Experiences, though. Those can be more meaningful than ever before.
It’s not fair to measure experiences by conversions (since we know conversions are unlikely). We can only measure experience by the amount we put in, the amount we care, the amount we give.
What goes around, comes around, maybe with a conversion, but maybe with something that’s not as measurable or traceable like loyalty or word of mouth or an in-person visit or an email of appreciation.
