Inspirational Stories

Align Passions with Purpose to Produce Extraordinary Results

Basketball was his passion and the ticket out of inner city poverty. His goal, like that of many young people, was to be a professional athlete. André was on his way playing with the UCLA Freshman team when the door to his ‘passionate purpose’ suddenly slammed shut with a career threatening knee injury. Rather than wallow in the pain of this loss, he let go of sports, went back to his core values, and searched for a new passion. He found he could help other people with his business skills, and so he charted a course to pursue the entrepreneurial dream.

After completing his college education and getting some work experience under his belt, the time was right. André Pettigrew met two partners with whom he started a management consulting firm. Over the next 10 years, it grew to a $14 million business with over 200 employees. For 3 consecutive years, it that was on the Black Enterprise 100 list of fastest growing African American firms in the country.

André is like many people today who have received a call for change and are searching for more. People are asking, “What is the real formula for success and for getting what I want in life?”
Especially in hard times like now, when economic downturn, layoffs, terrorism, war, and other challenges surround us, we need to ignite our spirit. Just as exercise strengthens our muscles and brings more fitness, adversity can strengthen who we are and stimulate a stronger life-force. Adversity is a positive force for change. André’s injury could have crippled him; instead it initiated a new beginning.

“It is the pursuit of passionate purpose, and not only its attainment, and relationships along the way that bring the real rewards to life,”
-Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.

Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.
Author of Pursuit of Passionate Purpose: Success Strategies for a Rewarding Personal and Business Life, helps organizations and individuals succeed by aligning their passions with purpose. Offering success strategies used in taking her company to over $40 million in six years, Szczurek works with emerging and established firms worldwide in marketing, strategic planning, and organization development to re-energize workforces and produce extraordinary results. Contact her at 800-505-8674 or tms@tmsworld.com or visit www.pursuitofpassionatepurpose.com