What Is The Difference Between Passion And Passionate

There are two main types of passion – passionate people and things. People who are passionate about something or someone often describe it as their life’s mission, they can talk endlessly about it, and they will do anything to promote it.

On the other hand, things that make you feel passionate may be practical and neutral – a book you read is always satisfying, for example. Or maybe you’re inspired by an inspiring speech you hear, or you find yourself thinking about a topic frequently, even if you don’t consciously recognize what you learned from it.

This article will discuss which type of passions we have, how to know if you have them, and why it matters. It will also suggest some ways to boost your passion levels in different areas of your life. But first, let us look at the difference between the two types of passion.

What is the difference between passion and passionate?

The word “passion” comes from the Latin verb passio, meaning “to suffer, endure, undergo.”[1] Therefore, one definition of passion is “the willingness to go through suffering or unpleasant experiences for the sake of something you want.”

However, this definition doesn’t clearly specify whether the thing you desire must be positive or negative. In fact, there are examples of famous artists and musicians whose skills everyone recognizes, but whom most people consider not very likeable or friendly.

Examples of passion

Being passionate is not only having an active love for something, it is also showing significant interest in these things. You can be very invested in sports teams, or you could be investing your time into studying mathematics!

If you are passionate about eating salty foods then that’s okay! But if you are constantly complaining about how much salt you have to eat because of this food then you might want to look into other ways to reduce your blood pressure.

Passion is shown when we are engaged with what we are interested in – whether it’t be listening to music, talking about fashion or math theories! It is when our focus becomes more than just wanting to exist.

It is when we actively strive to understand and know more about what we are interested in. This is where passion comes in. If you feel like you are chasing dreams and goals which don’t seem to come easily, then you probably need to work on your passion.

What I mean by that is you should try to find something you are truly passionate about so that you can invest some energy in it.

Definition of passionate

A few years ago, there was an interesting discussion about what defines someone as passionate. Some say it’s being extremely enthusiastic about something for a long time, whereas others believe that passion is having a strong feeling or desire for something made possible by experiencing it once before.

Many people describe watching sports as a way to identify if someone is passionate. Because athletes are typically very motivated by winning or losing, we can tell when they enjoy practicing their sport because they keep going even after you see them lose a game.

On the other hand, people who enjoy practices more like games don’t seem to feel much motivation to play unless everything goes perfectly.

There are several reasons why some people may be able to perceive the difference between casual interest and true passion in things such as sports. First, most people aren’t very good at recognizing emotions so it’s easy to mistake indifference for lack of engagement.

Second, people who are easily influenced may find it harder to recognize true passion because it’s usually accompanied by a strong internal response. If nothing ever makes you excited, then it’s hard to know that it’s actually not your favorite thing.

This article will talk about how to determine whether your job loves you or if you love this job. You will also learn some ways to improve your job confidence and effectiveness.

Examples of passionate

Being passionate is great, but it’s not always the best thing for your career and life. Sometimes passion can be distracting or even harmful.

Being passionate about something means you really care deeply about it –- to the extent that you feel emotionally attached to it.

For example, I would say that most people are passionately engaged with television shows they watch regularly. People talk about how much they love this show and how much it has influenced their lives.

But have you ever watched an episode of TV and thought, “Wow, what was the point of all that? Was anything important accomplished in those twenty minutes?”

I know I have. And I’m sure you have too if you're someone who watches sports. You might get so caught up in watching a game that you forget what you were doing before the ball was kicked off!

By the time you made it home, you had nothing left to do, so you decided to just sit down and spend the rest of the night watching YouTube videos about cats.

It's totally fine to enjoy entertainment like this, but we need to make sure we're leaving some space after each movie to deal with things coming next.

You've got work early tomorrow, for instance. Or maybe you'll grab lunch with friends later because there isn't anything else you want to do.

When passion turns into obsession

There’s a big difference between being passionate and obsessed with something.

Obsession is much more than just feeling excited about something. It is attached to the word “obsessive” because it is uncontrollable and excessive.

When you feel obsessive thoughts or emotions related to a thing, that thing has become important to you. You can’t seem to concentrate on anything else!

This isn’t healthy for your mental health.

It also may be signs of addiction. If you feel like you are obsessing over this item too much, speak with someone about how to manage your stressors in your life.

Stress can sometimes lead to bad habits, but don’t use one problem as an excuse for another.

When passion turns into obsession

Although both passionate and enthusiastic are great, they have different meanings.

Passion means to feel strong emotion for something or someone. It is usually characterized by how much you enjoy what you are doing. You would know that you are very passionate about something when you can’t seem to be able to take your hands off of it!

When your heart is in the right place, then you will probably find yourself willing to put in extra effort to achieve your goals related to this thing. You will also likely spend money supporting this thing, which further proves your passion.

But unfortunately, not all emotions we experience are positive ones.

If you ever feel passionate about something, there is a good chance that you will go beyond just feeling happy about it. You may begin to obsess over it, thinking about it constantly. This becomes an addiction because you need the substance (the object of your passion) to make you feel better.

This is where things start to get tricky. Because now you are looking forward to the object coming up so you can feel happier, but you don’t want it to disappear anymore. At this stage, you have crossed the line from passion to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

How to be passionate

Being passionate is great, but being passionate about something is different than doing things that feel passion-worthy.

Being passionate means feeling an intense desire to do something. You may or may not like what you are looking to accomplish with your life, but you feel compelled to go through with it anyway.

That isn’t the same as putting in effort into something you don’t want to. I know from experience because I felt that way at times.

I wanted to be a doctor since I was a kid. But I didn’t really enjoy studying medicine and I never thought I would make a good doctor so I gave up my dream.

It took me years to realize that wasn’t the right decision for me. If I had continued to pursue my dreams, I would have still been unhappy.

Passion doesn’t guarantee happiness, but it makes you happier than when you don’t try to work on things you think you shouldn’t.

How to be passionate

Being passionate is great, but there’s something that isn’t quite right about the word passion.

The -passion part of the term gets thrown around very commonly these days, so most people think it means “to like” or "to enjoy." But according to dictionary.com, the roots of the word passion come from the Latin word passio, which meant “suffering.”

So when you say someone is passionate, what you really mean is that they are extremely dedicated or committed to an idea or thing that makes them suffer.

I know this seems weird at first, but look at it in terms of relationships. When your significant other goes out with all of their friends while leaving you home alone, that can start to show a lack of commitment towards you. It's hard to maintain an intimacy where one person suffers heavily without proof that things have changed.

When passion turns into obsession

Sometimes, passionate behaviors can become too much. You might feel obligated to do things you don’t want to because of how invested in them you have become.

You may find yourself staying up nights thinking about what must be done next or feeling stressed out as you try hard to contain your emotions.

This is when it becomes important to identify what qualities you value most in life and keep these strong. It will help you determine if this thing you are engaged in is worth it.

If you think that it isn’t then you should probably stop doing it before you hurt yourself or others. Your health and relationships are important to invest in.

But remember, no matter how hard you strive to make changes, something that was once important to you will always remain so.