The New Orleans Jazz Festival is one of those experiences that’s been a part of my life for a long time.

And it’s kind of crazy to think about but I’ve been going there for at least half of the years it’s been around!

So, this year, my husband Murray and I decided to get down there and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Festival.

We caught about 30 or 40 different acts and the thing that really surprised me was what my favorite act was and why.

And this guy demonstrated a powerful lesson that’s related to building a successful business while he was up there on stage..

I bet you can’t guess who I’m talking about? 🙂

It’s Pitbull! Yep, the Cuban DJ emcee from Miami who grew up on the streets and made a name for himself out of nothing.

Way Beyond Return On Investment…

So, Pitbull’s thing is that he takes the best of everybody else’s songs and he remixes them and he raps a little bit over them.

And I think he’s not the best rapper in the world, he’s not the best singer in the world and he’s not all that good looking but what I found is this…

He has this pure joy radiating through him when he’s performing in front of a crowd.

He was SO into what he was doing on that stage and because of that he was able to evoke joy in everybody else.

And that had me thinking about how that would work in business because business is really about R.O.J — Return On Joy — and not just R.O.I — Return On Investment.

The Truth About “Follow Your Bliss”

Return On Joy is about the return you get on the level of joy that you bring to your work.

I’ve heard people say follow your bliss and if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.

And it really does feel like that when that joy is missing, when you’re going through the motions, when it just feels like work to you…

And if you’re feeling that way, everybody else can feel it too and they won’t be compelled to connect with you or follow you. They won’t be moved to respond to you and engage with you.

But when you’ve got that joy just pouring out of you as you talk about what you do in your  business, people are magnetized by that joy.

And here’s the thing… when you’ve got that joy it doesn’t mean you don’t have to work hard, it simply means you love the work you do.

As Pitbull said from the stage, “You know everyone says I’m lucky but it’s a funny thing… the harder I work the luckier I become!”

How to Get People Engaged, Excited and Inspired

So, luck isn’t just about opportunities landing in your lap…

It’s about finding that joy inside of you and turning it into something special and being willing to put the work into it to make things happen in the world because you love what you do, you believe in it, you’re fully aligned with it and energized by it.

And when you do that your audience will be eating out of the palm of your hand just like they did with Pitbull… 🙂

The amazing thing is that Pitbull performed in front of 5 generations — Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z, the Baby Boomers and even the generation before that.

And every one of us was dancing and having an awesome time together… we were all going totally nuts from Pitbull’s joy and enthusiasm!

Pitbull was not doing anything super unique or new or all that different.

He’s not that great a musician, he’s not that great a singer but he’s got that charisma, he’s got that dynamism and he’s got that joy that transmits to everyone around him…

And that’s a powerful way to get people engaged, excited and inspired by what you do as you build your business!

It’s an amazing lesson and it’s a lesson I learned from Pitbull of all people… I never saw it coming!

Over to you…

What’s one great business lesson you learned from an unexpected person, place or experience… something you never saw coming?

Share your thoughts below. I love hearing from you and I personally read and reply to every single comment 🙂