“Passion is the genesis of genius.”
– Galileo
How many times have you heard that passion is the ultimate secret behind every remarkable success?
Just what kind of passion is behind those great stories, and what does being passionate about something even mean?
Many dictionaries define passion as any extremely strong feeling that is difficult to control. So, passion can be love and hate and lust and enthusiasm…
Is it possible that success requires the kind of emotion that resembles an uncontrollable vortex?
Passion, drive, and determination are often used interchangeably to describe what it takes to succeed in this world.
We Were All Born with Passion
If you stop for a moment by a park and observe very young children, you will notice how crazy delighted they can be with small things that are funny to us – a snowflake, the feeling they have when they go down a slide, a butterfly that lands on their pocket… these are all magical things that can make children feel exhilarated.
Children’s passion for life is untouched by obligations, upbringing, and duties at an early age. They are free to enjoy life.
The luckiest among us manage to preserve that enthusiasm and love for life until the last day, some channel it and direct it to certain activities or areas of life, and some completely forget it under the burden of various responsibilities.
However, that spark remains in us, however difficult it may be to find it again and ignite it.
I Don’t Know What I’m Passionate About
There are two reasons why you might not have found your passion:
- You have a plan in mind, but you’re terrified to go after it.
- You haven’t identified your passion because you’re too scared or preoccupied to explore.
To find a way back to your passion, try answering these questions:
- What makes you tick?
- What is your heart set on doing?
- What is most important to you?
- When do you forget about everything else and are 100% focused on what you are doing?
- How do you wish to add value to people’s lives?
- What would you do if there was no money?
- If you could live forever, what would you do?
- What interests and thrills you?
- What would you like to be remembered for?
- Who do you wish to spend time with?
- What activity makes you feel like falling in love with life?
Allow yourself to be confused. Allow yourself to explore. Take time to feel and think about your life. Passion is often what gives a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives.
Confusing Happiness with Passion
Many people fall into the trap of chasing happiness instead of finding what they are passionate about. The thing with happiness is it never lasts.
You chase your desires, fulfill them, stay happy for one brief moment, and end up dissatisfied. So you start the vicious circle again.
The consumerism of the modern age has imposed a flawed system of desire on us.
We are faced with too many options, so we lose a lot of time trying to identify what is best for us. We want the things that other people want.
We learn what we don’t want only after we get it. We want too many things at once, and we want them instantly.
It is not easy to hear the voice of passion in us when we are surrounded by so much noise and modern-age distractions.
Fixated Mindset
People often have the misconception that they can have only one passion in life, that it is something fixed that does not change. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
The need to constantly evolve and change is woven into us, so our passions will grow and change with us.
It is not a rare case for a person who enrolls in a university where to study something with a great passion, but when they graduate, they realize that they want to do something else.
The only constant we should look for is a passion for life. To understand how valuable and wonderful life is and to invest great energy in everything we do is a passion that makes every life extraordinary.
Passion Often Stems from What We Lacked the Most
Sometimes the big dramas in our lives are actually gifts in disguise.
It is not uncommon for a child whose parent died of heart disease to become the best cardiologist, for a person who did not have money for schooling to become the best teacher, or for a person who had no one to share his thoughts with to become the best writer, etc.
The examples are endless. What we lack the most is often the source of our greatest inspiration.
Every experience shapes us, but the more challenging ones leave more than a mark on us.
They leave a burning need to correct injustice, prevent the same from happening to others, teach others, and make this world better and different in our own way.
However, too many traumatic experiences can block us from free expression.
Experiences like this are often the reason why we cannot recognize what we like, what we want, or even what we need.
What happens is that the path to the child in us is actually blocked, and the child in us always knows what it wants.
To regain access to that inner source of wisdom, we may need rest, therapy, play, or some other form of introspection.
What Being Passionate about Something Implies
When you have a burning passion for something, no obstacle will stop you from getting what you want. If you need to learn something from scratch, you will readily accept the role of a student, even if you are 40, 50, or older.
If you have to learn from those far younger than you, you will patiently absorb all the available knowledge. If you lack motivation, you will not give up the job but find a way to get inspired and persevere.
If you need to start a certain career from scratch and enter the industry as a complete beginner, even though you have an enviable previous career, it will come naturally to you.
If most of the people around you think you’re a fool for doing what you’re doing, you’ll just casually walk past them.
To be committed to the ultimate goal, daily through a series of small steps leading to full realization – this can only be done by someone who has a strong desire to achieve or learn something.
Being Passionate About Something is Like Being In Love
Passion is often associated with eroticism and love. And actually, when we are in love, we feel a great passion for a person.
We all know that feeling when we are head over heels in love. Everything reminds us of the object of our love, and we are ready to do anything to deserve our love in return.
If something else in your life makes you feel like you can do anything, makes you endlessly curious, and gives you the strength to not give up and persevere even when you are at the edge of strength – look for your passion there.
People with passion are aware that they can always do better. They put a lot of effort into expanding their knowledge, acquiring new experiences, and striving to become the greatest versions of themselves.
They are aware that this process takes time, and they are willing to confess their own shortcomings and make an effort to correct them.
They are comfortable with the idea that they are fallible and that they may improve.
Final Thoughts
You may identify your passion by being conscious of what you value most in life.
Your passion need not be connected to your profession. For instance, your true love can be becoming a fantastic parent, spouse, or partner.
The discovery may emerge through objectively observing your joys, hobbies, connections, experiences you make for yourself, and even the kinds of discussion themes that excite you.
In the end, you could discover that your passion is the common denominator that binds all of your favorite things in life.
Simply said, those who are passionate about what they do are fascinated with it—and I don’t mean this in a negative, OCD sense.
I’m referring to the type of fixation that led to the proverb “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life”—a positive, healthy preoccupation.
They’re simply so very enthusiastic about it, not because they feel burdened and under strain by it.
Their inspiration is the object of their obsession because it gives their life a special meaning.
The pursuit of passion is pretty much the pursuit of meaning in life.