Creative Energy Officer

It was 1968. My friend Carl’s grandfather had purchased a brand new black and silver Shelby Mustang. It was a thing of beauty and a marvel of performance.

It was driven until the mid-80s when it became a fixture in his grandfather’s garage where entropy set in.

Fifteen years later, after the death of his grandfather, Carl’s uncle wheeled the old car out of the garage and onto a tow truck. Carl’s uncle had an old photo of himself and his recently deceased father (white t-shirt and denim clad) leaning on the rear of the Shelby (if you put your ear to the picture, you can hear the John Mellencamp soundtrack).

His uncle had a vision: He needed to restore the Mustang to its original form and performance level.

The car, however, had suffered greatly from 20 years of neglect. It was completely rusted out and broken down, and Carl’s uncle lacked both the resources and the knowledge on how to restore the vehicle.

Most mature and wise people would not embark on such a journey. While the vision may be there, it is just too much time, money and emotions to invest in something that really does not create any value, but his uncle had that photo.

In total, it took him 15 years to completely restore the Shelby. During that time, there were months where no progress was made. His uncle would pull the tarp back, shake his head and put the tarp back over the car.

Later, he would look at the photo. His memories would awaken. The smell of the new interior and the way that the manual transmission would slide into gear…like it knew it was supposed to. He would go back to the vehicle and slowly begin to work again.

(Just to set the record straight, I would have gone into more detail on the car, but I know nothing about cars. When I am on a family trip and the car breaks down, I try to pretend that I know what’s wrong. I mutter something about alternators and gaskets as I open the hood only to find the same thing there as the last time…an engine. At least, I think that is what that thing is.)

However, what I can relate to is the passion, disappointment, anguish and long suffering that a project like this can mean for those who choose this path. This is really the same path as the entrepreneur. Here are 3 things that I took from my friend Carl’s Shelby story:

• Nothing worth doing is ever going to be easy, and it is going to take twice as long as you would like it to. When your problems pile up on you, remember that this is all part of a much larger process. The story of your success is never going to be what you planned, but it will always be what it is supposed to be.
• To do something truly great means you will be humbled. Most days, the task was too daunting. The car won many battles, and through it all, Carl’s uncle had to admit repeated defeats. However, they were not permanent. He remembered his passion, and he humbly moved forward.
• Baby steps, my friend. Most entrepreneurs and leaders want the success and dreams to come true now. However, with most things, we will have to be content with patient improvement. This does not mean that we rest on our laurels, but the shortcut to success does not exist.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

• Find your Mellencamp-esque photo. The vision may fade, but the passion is the engine. Carl’s uncle had a perfect, clear, well-defined vision, but with no fuel, he would have no Mustang. This does not mean that he felt the passion all the time, and there were days when he could not . But…he always found a rallying point in the nostalgia of connection with his father. He had more than purpose…he had energy to make that vision a reality. The photo symbolized this energy.

HOMEWORK:

What inspires you? What is it that you feel in your gut about you, your organization or your product/service? (Or, do you feel anything in your gut about what you do?) Where is it that you feel most fulfilled? What brings you joy?

Without the unreasonable and burning desire, nothing can be accomplished. No one can coach you on how to have passion. You have to want to find it.

1. Write down three things that you are passionate about that you think makes you unique from others in your industry or trade. If you would like, you can share them below in a comment. Who knows? You may inspire someone.
2. Check these guys out to find an idea that sticks. While they can’t supply you with passion, they can help you to make that passion into a “photo.” Something you can rally around.

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Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly

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