I first became a travel agent - for me. You could say it was a selfish move. I always had a passion for travel and I felt that building a business around my passion would allow me to travel more often. I also wanted to share what I knew with others, but that motive took a back seat to the number 1 motive of wanting to travel more often.Without really realizing what I was doing, I dove into entrepreneurship with a naive sense that if I followed my passion, the business would follow. It didn’t. I couldn’t understand why it was so difficult to get enough good clients so I could make decent money to afford me to travel as often as possible.It’s not that having a passion isn’t important. In fact, having a passion for your business is critical. But it took a long time to realize the missing link, or as I now refer to it, the secret to success in marketing.The reason I struggled to attract enough, lucrative clients was because I was so focused on “getting.” When I finally shifted from a place of getting to a place of giving, everything changed.Giving what? I had to realize that I was gifted. I had to embrace my talents and understand that my purpose in life was to share them with people. I’ll never forget when a very wise mentor said to me: “There are people who need your gifts and they will suffer if you don’t share them. It’s your DUTY to market those gifts so they can find you.”What a light bulb moment! I finally realized that marketing was about helping more people. The more I marketed, the more people I could help. A huge weight was lifted. That felt so much better than chasing clients to “get” more money. The moment I shifted from getting to giving, the business came flooding in.You too, are here for a reason. You too, have a purpose and are supposed to be sharing your gifts and talents with your clients. Perhaps it’s time for you to fully embrace how important you are in the lives of your clients.Travel is a healing tool. Travel helps people remove themselves from the chaos of everyday life and once again connect with who they are, their loved ones, their friends and even perfect strangers. Travel heals relationships. It breaks down racial barriers. It gives people perspective that will change their lives. And it’s very possible that travel will be the agent for world peace.You, as a travel agent/planner must understand this, bring it to the surface and lead with it. Because when you do, you will make the shift too.Chasing money and clients gets old. It drains you. It feels icky. But tapping into people’s hopes and dreams and being the person to make them happen, you can do until the day you die. It energizes you. It feels amazing.Take inventory of your talents, gifts and passions. Realize that you have them for a reason – to share them with others. Bring them to your business. What dreams do you want to make happen for your clients? Find your mission, write it down and start leading your business from this place. When you do, you have shifted from a place of getting to a place of giving and you will see a shift in your clients.These questions are how to shape your branding. We show our Travel MBA students exactly how to build their brand using this framework in our Travel MBA program. Want to learn more about it? Go to www.getyourtravelmba.com