Passion is grown, not found
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Passion is synonymous with dedication, devotion or a strong feeling towards something. It is a fuel to action but not the action, and here lies the problem. To take action, do we need passion or we need to take action to develop passion?
“We watched the thrilling Croatia versus Russia World Cup Football quarterfinal match and right afterwards my son went back to his PlayStation 4 (PS4). It was two in the morning and apparently my son is pursuing his passion!” The tone with which my friend shared his frustration is something I have become too familiar with over past few years. We, as parents may have struggled with finding our calling, our purpose in life, our passion and perhaps now we are struggling to guide our kids as well, especially nowadays, with the ocean of distractions and growing sense of entitlement among youth.
We chase the high of feeling passionate about something in life to give our lives purpose and propulsion towards something more meaningful than our current state of existence. Endless motivational quotes bombard us daily trying to trigger us into action but do we really? I myself have been through this recurring cycle of catching high after high and avoiding action simply because it requires immediate sacrifice and lets be brutally honest, that is everything!
For example, the following quote is profound and inspiring but after thirty seconds of reading it one is still is left a tad bit anxious. What to do with this fleeting inspiration? Am I simply consuming motivational fast-food with nothing to show for afterwards?
There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. — Nelson Mandela
The lie we tell ourselves and our kids is that passion is found as if it was lost in the first place! There is no magical emergence of passion in one’s life. Like everything else potent in our lives, passion is a product of action. Tom Bilyeu, an entrepreneur and an social media influencer in the personal development space, recently shared the following video on YouTube. Watch all three minutes, preferably at least three times.
As I understand, Tom highlights the two main building blocks to growing passion:
Step #1: Develop an interest. Find something. Anything. Its the baseline, the foundation of greatness, if you will. Put in the minutes, the hours and weeks, till eventually it starts resonating with your identity. It becomes something you do and not something you “have” to do.
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