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I was reading this article today on Wired discussing how with today's technology, we as human beings can accomplish 10 times more work than ever before and goes on to debate whether employees should be just because they can. My understanding of the author's intent was to remind us not to let technology get in the way of fulfilling our personal and spiritual needs, in effect don't take work too seriously…

Interesting point but I disagree, let me explain.

Technology allows you to accomplish more, definitely, and the growth curve in this hyper competitive market ensures that we will continue to have longer and longer work days where even today I consider myself “on-call” weeknights and weekends for my employer and customers. Now IMO, this is not because of technology… it's because I have Passion for what I do.

The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence, but in the mastery of his passions.

Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892)

I have been in a corporate environment now for a good portion of my career, but as you can see allot of my experience is centered around Entrepreneurial endeavors. Having passion is a key ingredient in any start-up effort, and a requirement when developing creative thought processes in order to transform a vision into reality. I feel that the passion I harbor and infuse in everything I tackle no matter the odds is what has fueled what success I have had on either side of the entrepreneurial / corporate fence. The one really shocking thing that I've run into working with some people in corporate environments is that passion is sometimes even frowned upon.

Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.

Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784)

Anyone who doesn't believe in a project are quickly cast out of a start-up environment, but sometimes you'll find that in a corporation you'll have people who exhibit the emotional attachment to their efforts of someone who seems to only work for their next pay cheque… ”It's just a job”.

In terms of my compensation outside of commissions I'm no different. I do have a small investment in the company I work for but that's out of my own interest and nothing to do with any serious ownership stake that would fuel any passion in and of itself. So when you look at me from the outside, you may (and it has happened) ask the question “Why is he so serious about his job?”.

Every man without passions has within him no principle of action, nor motive to act.
 
Claude A. Helvetius (1715 - 1771)

That answer is Passion. I apply passion to both my professional and personal efforts. I take advantage of every minute of every day to accomplish as much as I can to enrich my life and proceed as far down the road we call life as possible before my journey ends.

Passion holds up the bottom of the universe and genius paints up its roof.

Chang Ch'ao

So if you're not sure if you have passion about your work… you may want to ask yourself these:

If you find that your duties displease or stress you out to the point of being negatively emotional… you may not have passion.

If you decide that solving problems is more important than growing and taking calculated risks for success… you may not have passion.

If you focus on the follow through of processes to the detriment of your results… you may not have passion.

If you stop caring about what pains your customers, or the employees whom you are accountable to… you definitely do not have passion.

If you asked yourself these questions, and you find you don't have the passion you thought you did, I'm not sure how you can get it since it definitely doesn't grow on trees.

What I do suggest is that you find something in your life that you find passion in and stick with it. Even though you can fake it in the sea of faces at a corporation, passion for what you do will be the only avenue to your true personal and professional success.

All humanity is passion; without passion, religion, history, novels, art would be ineffectual.

Honore De Balzac (1799 - 1850)