I just received this marketing email from WebEx

Hi <First Name>,

Do you still have current needs in the WebEx area? From a pricing perspective, the 7/31 timing would work well for you. Terms, rates and scale of commit are the primary areas of flexibility…

Let me know if it makes sense to discuss details.

Best,

Now, they want me to get all excited and purchase their services when they can’t even figure out mail-merge? The sad thing about this is that this isn’t the first of these types of letters I’ve received from WebEx. I can’t believe that an organization that wants to attract new customers expects that this is an appropriate way of finding them. I have decided to add WebEx to my spam filter. I don’t need the hassle.

Among the many books that I am currently reading is John Maxwell’s, “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader“. It’s a short book and I’ve committed to read a chapter a day. Today’s quality is Passion.

Passion is something I have longed for. I don’t really have passion for anything – at least not in the “keep you up at night” sense. I enjoy doing a lot of things but nothing really keeps me up at night. I may have bursts of enthusiasm but it quickly fades and I’m back to being Mister Even-Keel. Never too excited about anything.

So, I’m not happy with that part of myself. How do I change it? The book gives me a few suggestions:

1. Take your temperature – How passionate are you about your life and work?
2. Return to your first love – sometimes events in life distract us from our true calling.
3. Associate with people who have passion – it’s contagious.

I’m currently at step 1. Trying to identify step 2 and looking for people in step 3.

What is your passion? What keeps you up at night? If you have developed a passion for something, how did you do it? I am interested. I’m ready to lose some sleep!