It the time of school retrospectives once again – they seem to come around so quickly. For me, it involves attending my 16-year-old’s ‘Record of Achievement Day’ (moving from one stage of learning to another) and my youngest’s ‘Sport’s Achievement Evening’. This year in that the school arranged for two past Olympians to come and speak to the kids. We heard how each had overcome adversity to achieve the pinnacle of their sports. In my younger years I was an athlete and I have to admit to deep feelings of respect for their commitment, passion and success.

Running my own company for 18 years, I have had my fair share of adversity. On darker days I have had to rely on my passion and commitment to keep me going. My experience has helped me to dig deep. However, as teachers described the achievements of the many children and the importance of ‘passion’ in their academic and sporting careers I wondered whether too much emphasis was being placed on achieving ‘first place’. What happens to the kids who are always going to come second, irrespective of the application of infinite amounts of passion and dedication. And what happens once you have achieved first place? How long can you continue to lead the field. One speaker was still talking of his victories in the 1990’s. Do we put too much emphasis on passion and winning? Lots of young people today seem to have difficultyunderstanding the difference between love and passion. They are both extremely strong feelings, and some people appear to get confused. Passion is a state of being. It is a temporary emotion culminating in the ecstasy and euphoria of achievement – the love of winning. Obviously, we all wish it would last forever, but the fact is that it doesn’t. If it did last forever, we would never be able to try new things or get anything done once we have achieved our goals.

Love, on the other hand, is more of a state of being. Passion can be a part of love, but it's not necessary every day. Also, it can bring happiness on its own, without any competition. There's a lot more to love than lust and romance. At work, it might be grouped by shared ideals and principles, like respect, honesty, kindness, support, the ability to solve problems, and communication. All of these things aren't necessary for desire or romance, but they are for true love. If you do these things, you can't help but be happy. You can see that what we really want is for our kids to be happy through all the talk of money, stuff, and ‘achievements.’

I haven’t overcome my various life challenges and adversities because I had a single-minded passion for my business. I succeeded because of the love of my ‘craft’, a craft that the business allowed me to practice, the pleasure that ‘creating’ gives me and the joy I derive from positive client feedback (and obviously the love from my family and support from my team). So, after a career spanning 30+ years what advice should I give to my sons? Search hard for things you love doing, love what you do, build a relationship with it based on honesty kindness and respect, and let’s not forget fun. Master the craft and then share your learning freely with others – help them find the love so that they can achieve levels of mastery higher than your own. I don’t promise a life without strife but I do promise joy as your reward and the satisfaction that you will get out of your future more than you put in.