Passion isn't a soap opera. Neither is passion what you get from a pill or what you find on the cover of a magazine. Passion is how life is supposed to be lived...

  Somewhere in the early 20th century, people lost their passion.

  Instead of working to live, they started living to work. 50. 60. 70. 80 hour work weeks became the rule rather than the exception. The line between work and home disappeared. And instead of waking up each day with a sense of optimism and purpose men and women went to their jobs with dread and apathy.

  Careers were chosen, decisions were made and products were created and sold based solely on financial gain.

  Business owners, CEOs and managers stopped leading from the heart and instead became prisoners of political correctness, spread sheets and overzealous bean counters.

  People stopped communicating with each other. At home and at work. Some simply forgot how to talk, write or convey their thoughts and emotions. Others were just too afraid of getting sued, verbally attacked or physically abused for saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time. Negativity in the workplace soared, while morale plummeted.

  Ultimately families suffered as marriages ended in divorce and loveless infidelity. Neglected children spent more time at the therapist's office than they did sitting at the dinner table. Prozac shared a spot next to the one-a-day vitamins and fat-burner pills.

  Meanwhile, thousands were fired abruptly in the name of "re-engineering" Entire businesses went bankrupt or were swallowed by virtual monopolies.

Most unfortunately, people started listening to the cynics.

  They stopped dreaming about creating a better world. They accepted the lie that life wasn't meant to be experienced with unbridled enthusiasm. That love, faith and imagination were somehow less relevant than pure science. That mental, spiritual and financial prosperity was reserved for a select few. That laws and politics could somehow save us from ourselves.

  The ancient rivers of passion and inspiration began to dry up. People lost their ability to connect with others. Power hungry politicians and religious leaders used race and religion as a wedge to divide groups, cities, nations and entire continents.

 Many people stopped respecting themselves and the rights of others. They stopped taking pride in what they did. Customer service and quality assurance virtually disappeared. In place of honesty and integrity sprouted manipulation, hyperbole and spin.

Add to this truth still another reality...

   The comfort zones of the 20th century are evaporating. Today's cutting-edge technology is tomorrow's old news. The rules are being rewritten daily. As a consultant and strategist, I hear the questions in meeting rooms and offices across the nation; how will our businesses thrive in an age of  fierce competition? How do we get the attention we need for our services and products to be successful? The answer -- Communicate with Passion™ !

   What does it mean to communicate with passion?

   From a fundamental dictionary point of view, communicate means to exchange ideas. Passion means boundless enthusiasm or powerful emotions such as love, anger, joy, pain or sorrow.

   Simply put, it means being human enough to let your guard down and connecting with your clients, constituents, and everyone else in your life on a soul to soul basis. It means doing what you love and sharing your love for what you do in every action you take, including the way you talk, walk, dress, respond and interact with others. It means being real and moving beyond dogma and archaic rules that hinder instead of help.

   Note that I said earlier that communicating with passion was simple to explain. Actually doing it takes some work. In the past century we've managed to develop a mind set that says running a business is different from leading a family or developing a relationship. Well I say that perception is wrong.

   Why should you even be concerned about communicating with passion?

Answer these three questions.

• First are you a business owner, sales professional, executive, or have a position which involves interacting with others?

• Secondly do you have bills to pay, mouths to feed, shareholders to keep happy, and anticipate having to do so for the foreseeable future?

• Thirdly, do you have a desire to grow your organization and prosper in the next few years?

   If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you cannot afford to ignore the need to communicate with passion (CWP). In my keynotes and workshops, I share a powerful formula for integrating passion in the different areas of your life. Passion truly is the foundation for health, wealth and happiness ....

   As we've already established, the rules of business are changing with lightning speed. Certain fundamentals, however, will never change. Let's call them Brian's Universal Laws of Success. Those laws say this:

• Age, color, race, and religion do not change the fact that we are all human beings and are woven into a brilliant tapestry called life.

• Everyone wants to be treated with respect and dignity and wants to be validated.

• Everyone wants to be wanted or needed.

• Everyone, and consequently every business has a soul (even those who refuse to acknowledge it). These souls desire to connect to other souls by sharing in the human experience.

   Brian's Universal Laws are the key to CWP and excelling in business and your personal life. Incorporate these principles into every aspect of your business and you'll have employees who work with you, not against you, customers who use only your services and products and the satisfaction in knowing that your business is going to be around for a long time.

  Passion is a philosophy, a way of life. But like anything else, the idea of passion is dead unless you act upon it and liberally rub it deep into every crevice of your existence. The following is the formula I've developed to communicating with passion, every day of your life. It's the foundation of my keynotes, marketing and positioning services and coaching.

Participate in ONGOING research and development. Rather than resting on yesterday's laurels, anticipate the next change and get there first. Challenge dogma.

In all you do, communicate with passion. Life is too special, you are too remarkable, your products and services are too needed in the marketplace for you to strive for anything less. -BN

Brian Norris is available for seminars, workshops and keynote presentations. When you need a passionate speaker ... an authority on passion and effective communications in the workplace, call Brian Norris at 414-688-8252 or email him at info@briannorris.com

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