How Strong Is Passion

What is passion?

Most people have heard the phrase, “Passion is what makes you do things.” Some say that we do things because we are passionate about them, or something stimulates that passion, so that we then feel an urge to action.

But what does it mean when someone says they are not passionate about anything? If you don't know anyone who doesn't like football, how can you tell if they're not passionate about sports?

I've even seen comments along the lines of, "Wow, he's really not passionate about much," which implies there's a reason that person isn't passionate about many things.

If you look up the word _passion_ in the dictionary, you'll find that it means strong feeling, desire, enthusiasm, or interest. A lot of these sounds like 'cause I want this thing' or 'because it gives me an easy way to relax.'

This may be why some people seem to lose their passion for things.

Examples of passion

Let’s look at some examples.

I have read many books about leadership, and I have listened to many speeches given by great leaders. From Abraham Lincoln to Steve Jobs to Gloria Steinem to Oprah Winfrey to Martin Luther King Jr., these men showed tremendous passion for their fields. They were passionate about what they wanted to achieve, how they wanted to reach those goals, and they lived with intensity – not just once in a while, but all the time.

They tapped into their passions every day, and that helped them do their jobs very well. It also made them feel good about themselves and gave them strength when they needed it.

Now here is an interesting question: What if we could learn how to use this same kind of passion to improve our own lives?

What if there was a way to get motivated every day, no matter who you are or what you are doing? What if there was a tool you could use to boost your motivation and energy level?

I believe such a tool does exist, and it has been around for a long time. We call it “passion.”

Passive people may seem easier to motivate, but they don’t care much about anything — including themselves. If someone like that never learned how to be passionately engaged with something, then he/she will never be able to inspire others to be actively involved in it.

Your passion must love what you are doing

Now, this may seem like a very basic thing to look for, but it can make a big difference in your career. If you find that you are not passionate about what you are doing, then changing something about it is probably needed.

The more excited you get about what you are doing, the more people will want to join you or keep up with you on how to do it. This includes other employees, superiors, and even yourself.

If you no longer feel passionate about your job, then chances are others won’t either. It could be due to changes within the workplace or outside forces taking away some of the fuel that once fueled you.

Whether you know it or not, there's a lot of energy floating around our environment coming from sources we don't always recognize. We all have different levels of tolerance for these energies, so someone who isn’t feeling quite as engaged might hurt your engagement level too.

Your passion should make you happy

Now, this doesn’t mean your job must be exciting or that it must pay well. But you need to enjoy what you are doing, and if you don’t, then eventually, you will look for something that does.

It's hard to maintain momentum when you're no longer feeling passionate about what you're working on. You'll become discouraged and distracted too often, which can cost you in terms of productivity and quality.

So, how do you know if your current career path isn't right? You can always ask yourself two questions: 1) Are my morals consistent with the work I am doing? 2) Am I experiencing happiness at the end of my day?

If you get an uncomfortable response to either question, it may be time to consider things like changing industries or sectors, finding new bosses, or even looking into opportunities elsewhere.

Yoursif not, maybe it's time to reevaluate your priorities. Maybe you've got stuck in a rut because you haven't found the source of passion yet, but you might now. It's time to do so.

Your passion should inspire others

Let’s look at it from another angle – what are you truly passionate about? What gets your heart pumping faster? What makes you feel happy, confident and motivated? These things matter to people. They make us happier and helps us achieve our goals.

When we lack motivation or someone is pulling us down, there comes a point when we need to ask ourselves why we care so much about something and how strong our passion really is.

It's time to evaluate whether your passion is just a fad or if it will stay with you for good.

Follow your passion

Following your passion is something you should do every day, if not every minute of every day. It’s one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

This doesn’t mean going after what you want takes only hard work and motivation, it also means knowing when to give up.

Giving up isn’t always about telling yourself you’re too busy or that you don’t have enough money to pursue your dreams, though those are very common reasons why people don’t take action. Sometimes, it’s because you've made your bed and now you're just having to lie in it.

You spent all this time getting ready for sleep, and then someone else comes along and wakes you up. You gave up years of your life waiting for this moment, and now you’ve got to start living without it. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

It's easy to get distracted by the next thing that looks interesting, but you need to remember who you were before you had that job and position. What mattered was reading books you thought would help you grow as a person, investing in friendships that helped you believe in yourself, and practicing self-care activities like doing yoga every morning.

If you ever feel like giving up, ask yourself whether these things matter to you.

Determine your passion

Now that you have an understanding of what makes someone strong, let’s look at some examples!

What is true strength isn’t always found in action; it can be felt instead. Some people are strong because they devote their lives to helping others. Others are known for their kindness, even when no one else is.

Some people feel so strongly about something that they will go through great lengths to prove how right they are. They might speak passionately about the thing they believe in, share their knowledge about it, or even start a campaign to promote its use.

Such passionate individuals show their strength by going beyond what most people would consider necessary to keep things moving along.

They are determined not to give up until their goal has been accomplished. You could say that these individuals have a passion -- for the thing they care about most. - Joni Mitchell, musician and songwriter (Source)

It's hard to tell if this person is actually well-trained in their craft or if they just really love doing what they do. Either way, they're very confident in themselves and know what sets them apart from everyone else.

Quit your job

Recent studies show that career passions tend to burn out over time. The intensity of passion typically drops as you climb the ladder, and even dropping into another career may not inspire the same level of enthusiasm.

This can be frustrating for people with passionate careers — and it can keep you from advancing in the field. If you feel like you’re walking away with nothing, what should you do?

You could stay where you are, but that might limit your potential opportunities. Or you could find something new – perhaps by changing industries or specializing within an industry.

Alternatively, you could always consider going back to school. A degree is usually less than cost effective if you don’t feel motivated about your current profession. But investing in your future by getting additional training can help open up more opportunities later.

If you really want to make a change, though, you will have to actually spend money on things that you want (and need) – traveling being a big one. You may also need to lower your expectations a little bit.

Find the right partner

Finding your passion is not easy, it takes work and effort, but it is totally worth it. You will know you have found it when you feel it in every part of your life. When you look at it, think about it, talk about it, and create experiences with it then you must feel that it brings you happiness.

Your passion will show through your actions and how you respond to things. It will influence the people around you, and it can be carried into other areas of your life.

Having a strong passion for something means that it can make you happy, it can help you achieve your goals, and it can bring you success.

It is important to understand that being passionate is not only limited to fields like art or music, it can be anything from talking to yourself (yes, we all have conversations with ourselves) to studying hard and engaging in activities that you enjoy.

Finding your passion is an ever-evolving process that requires us to reevaluate our lives on a constant basis.