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By Stefania Aulicino

Do you consider your company to be passion-driven: Are you on a mission?
Do you have a business plan, whether written or at least a game plan in your mind?

Consider this:
It’s not enough to have a BUSINESS plan for your passion-driven company.
You also have a PERSONAL plan.
A Personal Plan to rejuvenate the PASSION behind the business builder you are.

As the driving force behind your company, if YOU are not in TOP condition, is it really possible for your company to be sustainable in this fast changing world?

This year, my company CapitalLinkUSA is celebrating its 23rd birthday.
That’s after 15 year career on Wall Street as an undercover business builder.
You see, I’ve been perfecting my career for almost 40 years.

After 40 years, others are considering retirement.
But how can I retire from something that is part of me?
What I want is a game plan for the NEXT 40 years!
Yet I feel a need for a break.

Should I feel guilty about this feeling?
I’ve spent my entire career laser focused on helping my clients build passion-driven companies
In the last few weeks I gave myself permission to be laser focused on ME.

I realized it’s not enough to have a business plan, you need a personal plan.
A personal Plan focused on rejuvenating my passion.

Do a little mental check.
You know what it’s like to be on fire with passion. You’ve probably come to think of that energy as part of who you are. That it could never change. But has it changed?
Are you as energized as when you first started your company?
Do you have the same inexhaustible energy to apply to your mission?
Do you still jump out of bed 7 days of the week/52 weeks of the year with drive and clarity for the next phase of your passion-driven company?

How can you grow a passion driven COMPANY if you don’t have a passion driven LIFE?

Here is a way to turn this around.
If you hate your job- it makes sense to retire from that job.
If you are just burnt out- take a vacation.
If your passion deserves rejuvenation, perhaps it’s time for a sabbatical.

Sabbatical comes from the word Sabbath.
Sabbatical is a break from your normal routine.
Even God needed a break from his work of creating the world.
Universities offer extended leave to top performing professional, originally 1 year in 7 for research and to acquire new skills
If you think about it, our employees get a paid break from what they do during the week. Sunday is a day of rest for smart employees who avoid errands and customary work that day.

IMAGINE what a sabbatical could mean for you.
Have you ever heard of the Genius Awards?
The McArthur foundation each year makes a list of people to whom they grant $500,000 with no strings attached to do what they wish.
In the charter of the MacArthur foundation, this grant “…is NOT a reward for past accomplishments but rather an investment in a person’s originality, insight and potential.”

You don’t need to wait for the Genius Award. Create your own Sabbatical!
To get the most out of your sabbatical consider these 3 core elements:
1. Define
2. Analyze
3. Measure
These 3 elements make up the acronym of “D-A-M” .
DAM your passion for sustainable energy, consistently available, just as we dam water to make consistently available power.
• Define your rejuvenated passion
• Analyze the “where” and “how” to make it happen
• Measure your progress

Define
Personally the definition of rejuvenated passion for me is to give ALL of myself so that I can access ALL of others.
My clients could be my best friends, but I am not building the kind of relationship I know is possible. There is a gap I want to eradicate so all my relationships with passion driven friends.

Analyze
Today, technology naturally links people effortlessly.
The where and how to make rejuvenation happen seems to immerse myself in places that embrace mobile internet connections to the maximum.
Places where I could practice relationship-building, as if I were re-born; a kid coming into the world that always operated with connectivity of the internet, yet with my 40 years of business experience to leverage.

I am thinking about China, India, Brazil.

Measure
As business people we are encouraged to measure all with an income statement and balance sheet.
Passion progress cannot be measured that way.
My passion progress will be measured based on eliminating the barriers between MYSELF and others.
Progress will be measured by my success to build multi-dimensional relationship so that I may access all the dimensions of those I interact with to create relationship that are a source of energy which fuels my passion.

Define, Analyze, Measure creates a sabbatical that can D-A-M your passion for sustainable use.

Don’t sabotage your sabbatical.
Here are 3 myths to bust.
1. The company can’t operate without me
A sabbatical is the ultimate test of your succession plan.
2. Sabbaticals are supposed to be related to your carrier/business.
Take a page from the MacArthur genius award. YOUR sabbatical is NOT a reward for past accomplishments, but rather an investment in YOUR originality, insight and potential
3. Sabbaticals are unpaid
More than 20% of companies have formal sabbatical programs, 5% of which are PAID, according to the Society of Human Resource Management. You’re an entrepreneur: Bet you can figure out a way to get paid!

In Conclusion, to grow a passion-driven company, it’s not enough to focus on your business plan. You need a personal plan to rejuvenate your passion.

If you don’t nurture your passion, you won’t be able to build a sustainable business in this fast changing world.

If your passion needs rejuvenation, a sabbatical may be just the thing.
DAM your passion for a sustainable source of power:
• Define
• Analyze
• Measure

Are you ready to explore what a sabbatical could look like for you?
Hope you will share your story with me

Stefania Aulicino, president of CapitalLinkUSA ensures business owns get cash to keep control of a bigger, more profitable company, faster, safer than they ever thought possible- in any economy. Become a magnet for non equity and equity sources to fuel your growth. Explore our tools, solutions and consulting options tailored for different growth stages and different budgets: www.CashAndControl.com