Business and Entrepreneurship: Passion not required
Quick Answer: Robert S. Chun argues that passion in business is not required at all. The word "passion" comes from roots meaning to suffer, endure, and be in pain, which has nothing to do with what business actually is: providing what people want and recognizing opportunities others cannot see.
What's the Deal with Passion and Business?
I often hear people say, "To be in business requires passion", "Entrepreneurs need passion to be successful", or "You won't make it in business without passion." The list goes on and on. My intention in this article is to discover if passion is truly required for business (or life for that matter). What I found convinced me that business success requires no passion, and that the word itself works against you.
So What Does Passion Actually Mean?
The word "passion" is circa 1175. The latin passionem refers to the "sufferings of Christ on the Cross." It literally means to suffer and to endure something. In Greek, pema (the root word of passion) means "to hurt, misery, woe." The Old English meaning is "enemy, devil." The gothic sense means "to blame."
Suffering? Endure? Enemy? Blame? Misery?
Bottom line: to be passionate means to be in pain. At the core operational level, when you say "I am passionate" you are literally conditioning yourself to suffer, endure, be miserable and be in pain.
Why Passion in Business Is Not Required
And what does being in pain have to do with business or entrepreneurship? Absolutely nothing! Business provides what people want. If you're not doing that you are not in business, you're doing something, but it definitely is not business. Entrepreneurship is an exercise in awareness. To be an entrepreneur means taking hold of an opportunity that others cannot see.
So, if you want to add passion to business, you can. I am not going to stop you. If you want to add passion to entrepreneurship, you can. That is your prerogative, your choice. But you should be clear: you are adding it. It is not required. The kicker in all this is that we are not even aware that we are doing it, so passion seems like a "good thing" to add to business.
Personally, I definitely did not sign up for that.
My advice is: be careful what you add to business. Business at its core is a simple exchange, providing what people want, and entrepreneurship is simply the awareness to spot an opportunity others miss. Neither of those requires suffering, enduring, or being in pain, which is what the word "passion" actually means at its root. When people insist you need passion to make it in business, they are usually pointing at something real, drive, commitment, attention, but calling it by the wrong name. Understanding where the word "passion" comes from lets you separate what business genuinely requires from what you may be choosing to add on top of it, often without even realizing you're doing it.
- The word "passion" has roots meaning to suffer, endure, and be in pain, not roots tied to success or drive.
- Business is about providing what people want. If you're not doing that, you're not doing business.
- Entrepreneurship is an exercise in awareness, taking hold of an opportunity others cannot see.
- Passion can be added to business, but it is a choice, not a requirement, and often an unconscious one.
- Be careful what you add to business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is passion required to succeed in business?
No. Robert S. Chun argues business success requires no passion. Business simply means providing what people want, and that has nothing to do with the suffering and pain embedded in the word's original meaning.
Where does the word "passion" actually come from?
It comes from the Latin passionem, referring to the "sufferings of Christ on the Cross," the Greek pema meaning "to hurt, misery, woe," Old English for "enemy, devil," and the gothic sense of "to blame."
What does entrepreneurship really require, if not passion?
Entrepreneurship is an exercise in awareness. It means taking hold of an opportunity that others cannot see, not enduring suffering or pain.
Can you still bring passion into your business?
Yes, you can add passion to business or entrepreneurship if you choose to. Robert's point is that it's an addition you're making, often unconsciously, not something business itself requires.