“Look at any person who is a recognized leader in any field of endeavor and you will see passion. Passion makes things happen which would otherwise be considered impossible. Passion overcomes obstacles which long ago would have killed mere interest or resolve.
Those who are passionate about what they do have an advantage that is nearly impossible to overcome. In passion there is energy, creativity, resilience and persistence. Passion will get it done.
If there is something about which you are passionate, find it, understand it, and connect it with what you are doing. Put the power of passion behind the things you do. Live and act in harmony with a purpose that touches your soul. Go beyond being inspired. Go beyond being merely motivated. Get really passionate and fulfill your greatest possibilities and dreams.” – Paul Esajian
Let’s talk about this statement and how it applies to you.
For this particular discussion, we’re not going to talk about passion for God, human or animal rights, or your favorite sports team (Go Pats!). Those are all important, but here we’re going to keep it limited to passion for your work or what you do for a living.
What is passion? To me it’s something that you find extreme pleasure in doing and it fulfills some deeper need in you (remember the Six Human Needs? Read it HERE if you missed that important article.)
So let me ask you…
Are you passionate about your job? If not – WHY NOT?
I will submit to you that you should be – for two BIG reasons:
1. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t be fulfilled to the greatest extent possible.
2. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t be very good at it.
Let’s look at an average day…
Most people spend 8-10 hours at work (not including commuting time) and get home around 6pm. By the time you eat, decompress, etc., it’s already after 7:00pm and you basically have 2-3 hours PER DAY to do what you enjoy. That sucks!!! And your weekends aren’t much better because they’re probably taken up by errands, housework, and other responsibilities.
The solution? Work a whole lot less and/or find something you’re passionate about so you actually enjoy those hours working and find them fulfilling! And what kills me is that this really isn’t that hard. With some creativity and courage, most people can find something they enjoy and make money doing it!
Don’t let your zest for life get sucked out of you by doing something you hate just for the paycheck. Instead think about how awesome it would be to do something you love and look forward to every day! I’ve been blessed to love 90% of what I do and I’m not special in any way. If I can do it you can too.
The other reason to find something you love is because if you’re not passionate, you’re not going to be very good at it, and this will eventually put your job in jeopardy.
I’ll give you an example. Most of you know that I have a doctorate degree in immunology. While I like science, it’s not my passion. I didn’t go home from a day at the lab and think about science and experiments all night long. But there are people that do – and it’s those people that are going to make the big breakthroughs and discoveries. Not me.
The same is true for your job. Unless you love what you do, you will eventually be replaced by people that do love it because they will outperform you. It’s not that they’re smarter or better than you – they just love what they’re doing so it doesn’t feel like work to them.
See the dilemma (and irony) of choosing something to do that you’re not passionate about?
So how do you find your passion? It’s not that hard. Here’s a quick 3 question test:
1. What am I good at?
2. What do I think about a lot?
3. What do I enjoy doing and makes me feel good?
When you find an activity or interest that satisfies all 3 of these questions, you’ve found your passion. Congratulations!
Now the final question to ask is:
4. How can this benefit others?
Once you can answer that question, you can figure out how to make money from it.
I hope you’ve found this helpful. What’s my passion? Helping people find and live their passion! 
As always, I’d love to hear your comments below.
Tags: passion / purpose / success