When you have the energy to fuel your passion, success is sure to follow.  The 1-2 punch of energy and passion is the key to success in life.  In order to be successful in any endeavor you will need to overcome much discouragement, frustration and failure, and the key to rising above these things is energy and passion.  That is why I always say that “Energy is the fuel to ignite passion and passion is the engine of success!”

In the movie Cinderella Man, Russell Crowe plays a down and out boxer that makes a dramatic comeback.  The backdrop to this movie is the great depression and previous to the great depression Crowe’s character, Jimmy Braddock was a champion boxer that lost his way.  After his comeback a reporter asks him, “You have lost before, what’s the difference this time?”  Jimmy Braddock then answers, “I know what I’m fighting for.”  The reporter follows up with, “And what’s that?” and Jimmy comes back with what I feel is the most memorable and inspiring line in the whole movie, he simply says, “Milk.”  That says it all; now he knew why he was fighting.  He was fighting to feed his kids. He was able to look defeat straight in the face and say, “Okay, one more round.”  He was able to overcome failure because he had the energy and passion to achieve his goal of putting milk on the table.  I feel this is the story of America.  A spirited passion for a worthy goal that will let nothing stand in her way.  “Okay, let’s go one more round” was the unspoken mantra for generations of Americans and what has made America the greatest country in the world.  

The 1–2 punch of energy and passion is the key to success in your career as well as your life.  People can feel your energy and passion.  Our job is to “sell” people on what we know will help them and you can’t do that by being lethargic. 

Many years ago when I got started in sales, I didn’t know how to sell but I was passionate and energetic.  One of my first clients told me that as my skill increases it is natural for my passion to wane.  He told me the key to my success will lie in my passion and if I can combine an infectious passion with proven sales skills, I will always be a top producing sales person.  Was he right!  Isn’t that what Mr. Ziglar has been teaching us for years? If we present our message with an infectious passion and conviction combined with a high level of energy, it will speak volumes to our prospects and “sell” them on taking action by using the best person in town…YOU! 

Put the 1-2 punch of energy and passion to work in your life so you can live the life of your dreams! 

…then get out of the kitchen”.

By using “Shaw’s five-step plan” you will soon you will develop the power of confidence and courage that will inspire you to take action. You will feel more excitement and clarity in your life everyday. You will be motivated like never before and easily “beat the heat”.

When Sally Field accepted her Oscar, she yelled out “You like me!” She has been teased about it ever since but it was a natural sincere response to hard work to achieve success. The acclaim from her peers, industry, friends and the millions that watch the Oscar that night.

True, you do not have a party every time one of your employees cleans up their desk or when they remember to do their job well. Your company, your department and individual employees are are worth the star-studded recognition.

Very few of us get moments quite like that in our lives, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t internally long for and deserve public recognition

Here are a few ideas:

Personal development such as earning a degree

The opening of a new office

Meeting earning and profit goals

Promotions

Winning a public service award

Good idea

Caught in the act of doing something kind for one another

Take advantage of these milestones to create recognition. Make it a little holiday with balloons, candy and group participation. Cash is a usually poor choice because it often goes quick or is used to pay a bill. Trinkets are just stored away and forgotten. How many do you already have in your desk or at home from over the years?

A restaurant or gift vacation beginning as low as $25.00 with a high perceived value will not only have them performing it will have them sharing their experience with all they know. They choose the location, the date and often take the family with them for their own private celebration.

** Tell your employees how to win. Employees need to know ahead of time what type of things are important and what they have to do to earn it.

** Create and share a plan for achieving with easy to understand steps and monitoring along the way.

** What are the rules? Will probation discount employees from being recognized at this time.

** Will the recognition be once a month or annually?

Remember presentation counts. Employees should feel that the recognition is something special, not an afterthought. You can’t always bust the budget with a lobster dinner but do what you can to make the occasion memorable. Restaurant incentives can provide 10 dinners to recognized restaurants over 10 months for $25.00. This is a perceived value of $100!

As you plan, keep your efforts in scale. Don’t make an event to honor a single employee with a bigger bang than the ceremony recognizing the company’s own accomplishment.

Reflect the department and company’s culture. If you are a freewheeling start-up company, a black-tie may not be what gets employees most excited. On the other hand, swing night at the roller rink might not be the best choice for commercial bankers. Events should feel like a natural extension of what appeals to most people in your company’s culture.

Don’t attach strings. One boss complained that employees never thanked her when she recognized them. She likened the recognition to Christmas or birthday gifts and said that she expected comparable thank-yous. She decided to solved the problem when she recognized employees who worked on a new product launch then asked them to make comments at the presentation so that other department managers were aware of their gratitude.

Make it personal. When an employee has an accomplishment outside of the office they have shared with you send them a card or flowers to express your congratulations.

Saying thank you is powerful. Say it with sincerity and say it often.