The MONTHLY Motivator - November 2005

Passion

Passion is a driving force, an energy that pushes you forward and compels you to act in the face of all obstacles. Passion moves you through the challenges and propels you toward your goals. Passion is a premium, high-octane fuel for living. Attempting to accomplish anything without passion is like trying to drive an automobile without gasoline. Think about what you would have to do to move your car a few blocks down the street if there were no fuel in the tank. It could be done, but it would require an enormous amount of pushing and shoving on your part. Yet with a sufficient amount of fuel, instead of you pushing the car, the car would be carrying you.

Passion works in a similar way. Imagine that you’re looking for a job, but you don’t have any passion for the pursuit. Without passion, it is a tiresome effort. You must grudgingly push yourself every step of the way. You move slowly and ineffectively. Every obstacle becomes another excuse to quit. Now consider how completely different it would be if you were filled with passion for finding a specific job. You’re filled with excitement, positive expectations, enthusiasm, energy and clear direction. Rather than reluctantly pushing yourself, you are propelled forward by your passion. Instead of a dreaded chore, it becomes an exciting adventure. The obstacles and challenges do not deter you, but rather serve to make you even more determined.

Not only does passion improve the quality of the effort, it also makes a significant positive difference in the quality of the result. Those who are passionate about their job search will land the best jobs. Those who are passionate about building their business will make the business a rousing success. Those who are passionate about their relationships will find those relationships to be far more fulfilling. Passion gives valuable energy to the journey and it also makes for a better destination.

Like other powerful forces, passion needs to be refined and controlled if it is to be used safely and effectively. Raw, unrefined passion can lead to violence and destruction. We must be careful to direct that enormous energy. If you light a match to a storage tank full of gasoline, it will explode with tremendous destructive force. Yet if you ignite that gasoline in a well-engineered internal combustion engine, it will provide useful, productive power.

Passion is something that is very powerful and desirable, and at the same time it is something that we must use carefully and purposefully if it is to have a positive influence. Passion can bring many great things to life. So let’s take a look at ways to cultivate passion and to utilize it in making a positive difference.

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--Ralph Marston

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