Passion – the most essential ingredient for success, at least in anything truly worth living for. To go through life without passion would be like one hand clapping. It wouldn’t result in much to write home about. Without passion, why even bother? Come on, get off the fence.
What exactly is passion? For starters, it’s often seen in the company of love, enthusiasm, inspiration, desire and vision. Enthusiasm comes from enthused, en theos, i.e. in God. Inspiration has its origins in inspired, i.e. in the spirit. Desire’s roots are “de sire,” i.e. from the father. It doesn’t make passion new-agey or spiritual. Rather it confirms Beethoven’s words, and of course his music: “What is to reach the heart must come from above.” Bottomline, definitions of passion can be found in books and libraries, but you’ll never find passion there.
Passion is within you, and in the now. You cannot be passionate tomorrow. By the time tomorrow comes around, it’s today again. The decision to be passionate is made in the now, in a heartbeat. Sure, it’ll take time to practice and strengthen your passion, the same as with physical strength and endurance, but the decision itself requires neither time nor practice. You go from not, or maybe, or thinking about it, to “Yes!”, in a heartbeat.
Passion is about the future. The past is present only in the rear mirror. With time, passion becomes your very eyes, looking out for you and guiding you beyond where your eyes can see. It makes you think first of the right thing to do, before thinking of doing things right.
Passion is the dream that never ends, as well as the course you follow to make that dream a reality. Put differently, everybody ends up somewhere in life, but only few end up somewhere on purpose – those are the ones with passion. You know youhave passion – or passion has you – when it’s all-consuming. Ideas swim in your head awake and asleep. The distinction between the two is blurred. You are grateful and full of energy every new day, for every new day brings with it the opportunity to think, speak and write about the thing most important to you. Work, play, fun, entertainment, relaxation, recreation – they’re all the same to you. You’re not longing for a vacation. Gone are the days when you worked, grudgingly, for rewards that could only be enjoyed away from work (salary, bonus, vacations, weekends, retirement). You now work for the sensation while working. Money is part of the picture, of course, but it’s not center field.
Passion and money are not related. To believe otherwise is understandable, given that people without passion are frequently also without money. But the connection between passion and money is an illusion. The richest people – in finance, business, sports and entertainment – are all working their asses off. They don’t need the money. They could have stopped working long ago. All the money in the world couldn’t make them stop – precisely because it’s not about the money.
Having passion means you are ready to pay the price – whatever it takes. In the context of passion, to suffer does not imply a negative mindset. If you’re passionate about climbing the mountain, the hardship of the steep long climb is suffered … with joy and passion. Remember the scene in “Slumdog Millionaire” in which the kid passionate about getting near his idol must first jump, literally, into a pile of shit? The boy jumps, without hesitation, because he had already jumped earlier. Or the scene in “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid”, in which Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s choice is between being made captive or to jump of a high cliff to an uncertain future, with little chance of survival. Of course, they jump, the decision having been made long ago. When you have a clear passion, many decisions are already made for you. Passion is so powerful it becomes your DNA.
My passion is growth. I equate growth to life itself. Growth signifies movement. The absence of movement is death. If you’re not busy growing, you’re busy dying.
What’s your passion? Are you passion-less? Open the window, or look into someone’s eyes, or listen to your favorite music, or hit the outdoors and connect with nature and creation itself. Still not sure? To identify your current passion is easy. Check where you have been spending most of your time and money on and, bingo, your current passion. Not happy with what you found? Draw up a list of things you could be passionate about instead, then select one. Best choose a dream or a vision that appeals to your temperament, then embrace it – with passion. How about giving yourself the chance to live life completely on your own terms? If you think or insist that you have no special talents to be passionate about, simply start being passionately curious, or passionately loving. You will be surprised by the results.
Time is too precious, life too short, to sit on the fence. Jump into life, open your heart, be open for passion. Don’t miss the train for massive change for the better. Never before in the history of mankind have there been this many opportunities. You don’t need lots of money or elobarate technical skills to get started. Building your business and your brand has never been easier. Go online, check it out.
If you think you need guidance, or help, just holler. I’d be happy to. If not, all the better.
Just do it. With passion.
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