While developing my Finding Your Purpose program, I read a lot of articles (and still am) and saw a lot of information that uses purpose and passion interchangeably. I was interviewed in the early days of running the program and the interviewer used the terms interchangeably. Heck, even ChatGPT swapped them around. What I did do was make a conscious effort to ensure I used Purpose consistently and intentionally. So, I wanted to clarify what I mean and understand when I use passion or purpose and how they are different.
A reminder: I write about the psychology in business and focus on business owner psychology. These definitions relate to business owners and their businesses.
Definitions of Purpose vs. Passion
What is Purpose?
Purpose is a pull. You’re drawn to it. You may even try to turn your back on it. Perhaps you’ve tried to ignore it. Eventually, your purpose will draw you back in.
Purpose is often for a greater purpose than yourself. It may be to make a difference, to make a change, an impact, or a legacy. A purpose does not need to be grandiose or result in fame, fortune, or power.
Purpose can be a whisper, but it won’t stand to be ignored.
Purpose often wends its way through our lives. It may leave us for a while, particularly when we have greater competing priorities. But it will subtly remind us of its existence when needed.
What is Passion?
Passion is a push. It can light a fire in or under you. It can get you up and moving.
Passion is an emotional drive to do or achieve something, especially something you enjoy.
Passion can wane, especially when you come up against difficulties or are faced with a more exciting alternative.
Passion can be fleeting – heat of the moment.
How do passion and purpose differ?
Passion is often associated with drive. When we are passionate or driven to do something, we feel personally satisfied or accomplished.
Purpose is rarely finished. We keep striving to achieve our purpose. Wanting to do more.
How do Purpose & Passion Impact a Business
What role does passion play in business?
Passion can start a business.
Passion can drive activity, creativity, or even change.
Passion can be important to the immediate success or achievement of goals.
How Purpose is Important in Business
Our purpose is powerful. It is persistent. It is a compass to our happiness. I’m not kidding, there are
dozens of research papers outlining how aligning our purpose to what we do for work results in us being happier in our work. Happiness in our work means we are more productive. Happy workers mean happy clients & happy clients spend more.
Purpose gives clarity to why a business chooses a particular path or approach.
Purpose is important to ensuring the sustainability of workplace culture.
Purpose helps forge resilience in difficult situations or times.
Balancing Passion and Purpose
Can passion and purpose overlap?
Yes, they often intersect. However, they don’t have to align. You may feel passionate about certain aspects of your business, and have your purpose extend beyond that.
The most common way that they overlap is when people are passionate about their purpose. This is probably where most people confuse the two.
When this happens business owners can benefit from having visual reminders of their purpose around them. It’s important to remember that our purpose is one of the keys to what makes us happy, removes overwhelm, prevents burnout, and keeps us on track.
Which should come first—finding passion or finding purpose?
Purpose (and values) should always come first. Purpose is a deep driver that steers us. Purpose clears a path for passion to drive us down.
Remember, passion can be fleeting. We can feel passion for various things at once and over time. Passion often gets us started but rarely keeps us going.
There’s a reason purpose is one of the 3 key statements a business has, businesses rarely have passion statements.
Common Mistakes Business Owners Make with Purpose & Passion
What happens when business owners focus only on passion?
The most common thing I find is that business owners burn out and feel a sense of dissonance (disconnection from our core belief structure). It’s then that passion is taken over by procrastination, avoidance, service and care factor slip and so do the clients, income, & profits.
What if I don’t feel passionate about my work anymore?
The amazing thing about finding and (re)connecting to our purpose is that it reignites our passion for that purpose. We remember why what we were doing was important. We rekindle that passion and we find that motivation to keep going.
Real-life examples of passion vs. purpose in business
Melissa was a beta-tester for the Finding your Purpose program. She shared that the Finding Purpose program helped her establish clearer boundaries and gave her a deeper understanding of what her business means to her. It allowed her to reflect on how she wants to improve her conveyancing practice moving forward. Shortly after completing the program, she had a productive conversation with her assistant about reducing her workload and revisiting the idea of focusing on her ideal clients. Melissa believes this shift in mindset is a direct result of discovering her purpose.
Recently, Melissa participated in a networking event where she had the opportunity to showcase her business. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel nervous beforehand. In the past, she would worry about being judged, but this time, she approached it with passion. During her speech, she shared how conveyancing is not just her business but also her passion, which drives her ability to provide exceptional service. Melissa credits her newfound confidence to the clarity she gained from the program, knowing that conveyancing is her true calling. She was thrilled to see others resonate with her passion during the event.
Then there is Lee. Before taking part in the Finding your Purpose program, Lee was juggling multiple passions—writing, AI, and new technology—but he always felt like something was missing. He had been focusing on these areas without a clear understanding of how to integrate them in a way that felt truly fulfilling. This lack of direction led to frustration, as he repeatedly hit walls and feared burnout from not knowing how to move forward.
Through the program, Lee gained the clarity he needed. She guided him to see that while his passion for tech and AI was strong, his true purpose lay in evangelising these innovations—sharing his knowledge and excitement with others in a way that truly resonated with him. This shift in perspective allowed him to align his work more closely with his purpose.
The biggest benefit Lee experienced from working with Kara was the ease with which the process revealed what had been missing. He now feels more confident and focused on evangelising AI and new technology, transforming how he approaches his business and giving him renewed energy and purpose in his work.
Purpose for Long-Term Success
Why does purpose contribute to long-term success?
When our work aligns with our purpose we are happier. Consequently, when we are happier in our work
our clients are happier and will spend more.
Melissa & Lee are only 2 examples of business owners who have found ongoing success and happiness through working in alignment with their purpose, even in the economic downturn we are experiencing in 2024.
How do you find your purpose in business?
After many fruitless hours searching and testing online tools and techniques, I was told I should be a psychologist, a generic answer that is a role I do not want (a business or organisational psychologist is the right answer). I realise a job is a role, not a purpose, and even then my experience was generic at best.
Owning and running a business involves many roles, so finding your purpose in business can not be generic. It has to distil what lights you up, consider the commonalities and interests you’ve had and have, and dig deep into the change/impact/legacy you want to achieve.
Finding your purpose in business needs to understand you, your psychology & motivators, and business. (It’s a good thing I am qualified and have decades of experience in both).
Answering FAQs About Purpose & Passion
Can you be successful if you only follow your passion?
Of course, you can be successful if you only follow your passion. It depends on how you define success. What is unlikely is that you are actually only following your passion. There’s a good chance that you are mistaking a purpose for your passion.
Otherwise, you are likely to have a business that does many different things, burnt out, and confuses your audience.
How do I stay motivated when my passion fades?
Your purpose will pull you through the times when your passion fades. It will keep you focused on what matters most until a passion takes your fancy and off you will go again.
Is it possible to have passion without purpose?
It’s more likely that you haven’t found your purpose and are using passion to drive you until it and/or you burn out.
Can purpose help me enjoy my work more, even if I don’t feel passionate?
Ensuring that our work aligns with our purpose and values is the way organisational psychologists have discovered that we are happy and enjoy our work. You don’t need passion if you have one or both of these in your work.
