When You Do It For Love

Ellen DeGeneres. Daniel Pink. Marianne Williamson. Steven Pressfield. Alexa von Tobel.

What do they have in common?

They do what they do for love.

Don’t get me wrong—they didn’t blindly stumble into success. They are talented and skilled, working with immense discipline and consistency .

But their drive—why they do what they do—comes from love. It’s their calling. It’s their life’s work. They plow through obstacles and face down fears because they have a bigger purpose.

When you’re not afraid to show your love—in all its imperfectly perfect glory—that’s when the game changes.

We humans are hungry for emotional connection. Feed us, inspire us and we will start beating a path to your door. And then things REALLY start to percolate. Before you know it:

You’ve got a big idea and your growing posse latches on, multiplying your influence in ways you didn’t dare imagine.

Your dream media comes a calling (or has the good sense to say “yes!” to your pitch).

You are launching your book, your speaking, your programs and products—you—to an appreciative tribe who can’t get enough.

It doesn’t happen overnight. Those high-powered names worked for it. They battled for it (do read Pressfield’s War of Art ) every time they faced an empty page or dark night of the soul. They made sacrifices along the way, but love sustained them.

Because love—real, genuine, down-to-your toes love for your work and your audience—is rocket fuel. It is the ultimate high-octane juice we all need to keep creating and keep serving.

Do it for love.

Wishing you a most delightful Valentine’s Day.