“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Take this piece of advice from the man behind the success of Apple and Pixar. Steve Jobs strongly believes that great work is achieved when you love what you.

Managing a business can be challenging and staying in love with it requires a heart that knows the reasons to keeping the fire alive. Here’s how loving what you do can change the way you do business.

1. It keeps you going

Running a business will never be a smooth-sailing journey — it’s a constant truth. Some business owners quit easily when they hit the rock bottom because they think that failure has made their efforts pointless. But those who love their work would think otherwise; they always bounce back from their mistakes. 

2. It helps you grow

Stagnancy is an enemy in business. This will discourage you from exploring more things and taking more risks for your business growth. Many companies like Nokia have fallen into this — failing to innovate – and have held onto their strategies that work without considering the changes in their industry. Loving what you do can also mean letting go of things that prohibit you to grow. What are those things that keep you from growing? List down all those things. From there, make an action plan and dedicate a time to experiment on new things that can add a little spice to your business.

3. It makes you brave

Many people have done things in the name of love. In business, you should also have a heart that is willing to take risks. Fear of failure might mean that you aren’t confident enough about what you do and it shows what kind of affection you have for your business. For example, you don’t have a steady cash flow yet because you keep investing your profit back to your business. Taking a loan sounds a good solution, but you’re too afraid and you feel like your business can be at stake. But would you rather lose your customers because you can no longer keep up with the demands? If you love your business and you want to make it last, take the courage to do whatever it takes.

4. It allows you to embrace discipline

Once you hit the target sales for the month, you might be complacent to bring more sales in the business. However, if you love your business as well as your customers, you will embrace the necessary sacrifice to make it grow — meeting deadlines, keeping your accounts balanced, making your products updated, and paying your loans on time. Your relationship with your business will prevent you from making excuses and delaying things that should be done immediately.

5. It gives you a sense of purpose

When you love what you do, you understand that doing business is not just about profit; it’s about fulfilling a purpose. You don’t follow the fad because you prefer to provide real solutions to your customers. Your purpose is beyond selling things. What is your biggest ‘why’ in doing your business? Hold onto that and turn it into a mission. If you still haven’t found that why, Steve Job advised: keep looking; don’t settle.

Have the courage to follow your heart’s desire and be ready for the challenges that will come along the way. After all, why spend your time and energy in a venture that you hardly love?

Image source: Flickr.com