Passion: A key factor for professional success—including in SEO
Do you love your job? Communication guru and best-selling author Richard St. John interviewed over 500 highly successful people from the worlds of business, culture, and sports. The result: passion for one's work is the most important factor for professional success.
1. From school dropout tomillionaire with "
"
Richard St. John learned early on that passion is a very important driving force. He barely made it through high school and didn't care much about school. Fortunately, one day the door of the career counselor at his high school was open. The rather unmotivated student went in and asked, "What should I do?" The career counselor asked,"What do you like to do?" The young man didn't have to think long and replied, "Draw cars." The career counselor recommended that he pursue a career as an industrial designer. And so St. John's impressive career took off. When the now successfulauthor,speaker, andcommunications guru decidedmanyyears later to investigate what makes people extraordinarily successful, he recognized one thing: thatpassion isanessentialdriverofsuccess and prosperity.
For years, St. Johnpurposefully conductedinterviewswith over 500 renowned businesspeople, influential innovators, artists, actresses, athletes, and other successful individuals. He was determined to find out whatthesepeoplehad in commonthatmadethem successful. Apassionforwhat they do is what distinguishes all those whoarewinners in their personal and professional lives. We recognize this in our work too: we love what we do. That means we stand behind it, work hard, sacrifice the occasional weekend, and inspire others with our passion. Passion is thekeytolearning,improving, andmaking meaningful use of ourstrengths.
2. Whatmakes passiona powerful driving force
Discovering your passion for search engine optimization can have a transformative effect on your career as an SEO. Richard St. John's research shows how crucial passion is for personal and professional success. But how do you find this passion that has the potential to set you apart from the crowd and propel you to the top of the search results?
It all starts with apassion for SEO
Many successful SEO experts started out with a basic curiosity about the web and how it works. Their passion developed from a constant desire to see websites at the top of search results. This ongoing quest to improve their skills and understanding of SEO motivates them every day.
"Love whatyou do!"
In SEO, as in many creative and technical professions, a passion for one's work is a key factor for success. St. John found that those who love their work are not only more successful, but also more satisfied. This enthusiasm enables SEO professionals to develop and implement innovative strategies that deliver real results in search rankings.
From bottom of the league to SEOhigh-flyer
St. John himself was once a below-average student who discovered his true passion late in life. Similarly, anyone can get started in SEO—without prior online marketing expertise or outstanding technical skills. Through continuous learning of SEO practices and their practical application, interest turns into passion, which can lead to masterful skills.
Discoveringa passion for SEO
It is not always obvious what fulfills us most. The path to discovering your own passion for SEO can be through experimentation, trying out different disciplines,on-page SEO, technical SEO,voice SEO,oroff-page SEO(see alsobacklinks) within online marketing, and by gaining experience in various projects.
Walkingmanypathsto discover your calling for SEO
Sometimes, your true calling reveals itself through chance opportunities or unexpected career changes. Many SEO experts found their way into the industry through an unexpected opportunity or a necessary adjustment to their career paths. Many came to SEO via other routes, whether through IT,web design, oreditorial work.
Accepttheappointment
What do those who have found their calling and are now extremely successful say? That itwasoftenby chance! Sometimes yourthird choice of degree course turns outto bethe one thatgives youthe deepestsatisfaction. Sometimes being laid off gives you the impetus to finally start your own business. Sometimes moving to a different environment opens your eyes to what really inspires you. When that happens, it's about accepting whatmakesyouhappy by chance – and ultimatelyleadstosuccess.
Follow your heart, not yourbank account
In SEO, it pays off in the long run to follow your passion rather than just pursuing short-term financial goals. St. John found that those who follow their passion are not only happier, but often become financially successful because they thrive in their work as SEOs and deliver excellent results in Google, Bing, and other search engines.
First comespassion.Themoney follows automatically.
Making a lot of money isnot a goal in itself. Rather, it happens when you do what you love really well. That is the conclusion reached by author Richard St. John in his analysis. Noneof themillionaires and billionaires he interviewed set out to become rich. They wantedto develop,invent,contribute, orimprovesomething. After working hard and passionately on it, thereward cameinthe form ofwealth.
3. Passion isn't everything—but this is where thesuccess of SEO begins
Of the eight personal success factors, St. John namespassionasthe mostimportant. "Allofthemare important," he says, "but if you love your work, it's much easier to develop the other seven skills."We at taismo recognize this all too well. Weare alsopassionateaboutour mission as online marketers to bring companies tothe topofsearch results with online marketing. With this in mind, we wish all entrepreneurs, founders, and managers lots of passion for the success of their SEO projects!
Want to learn more? Here are some references for further reading and exploration: The book"The 8 Traits Successful People Have in Common: 8 To Great"bySt. John takes an in-depth look atpassionandthe other prerequisites forpersonalandbusinesssuccess.
At taismo, we are also interested in the other principles thathelpussucceed. That is why, over the next few months, we will be describing the seven sister virtues of passion, as defined by St. John.
