“Finding your passion changes everything.”
This
statement was made by the highly respected British author, educationalist and international
speaker, Sir Kenneth Robinson. He was referring to the fact that we all
have within us a personal passion, ‘an element’, which when expressed,
will cause us to feel the best we can, be most inspired, and to function at our
highest level. He stressed that nothing can ever be achieved without an element
of passionate desire driving one’s intention. He insisted that while such
strong values as ambition, discipline, persistence, ability and vision will all
play significant roles in the success of a venture, it is following of one’s
passion, that will most often make the difference.
Steve
Jobs, founder of the Apple and Pixar companies and one of the
world’s greatest and most successful entrepreneurs, was no less adamant in
confirming the power of passion in achieving success. In his famous 2005
address to the graduating class of Stamford University, he stated:
“People
with passion can change the world for the better.”
He continued by reminding his audience, as Richardson had
also previously done, that true success can only be achieved in the presence of
a strong and genuine desire. He concluded his address by exhorting the
graduates:
“To keep looking, don’t settle, as with all
matters of the heart, you
will know when you find it.”
These men, and the countless numbers of
other successful people who have achieved their dreams, will unhesitatingly
attest to the fact that their success was directly related to the strength of
the passion they brought to bear on their project. They will readily admit that
it was this conviction that served to protect them from those who tried to
dissuade them, and also gave them the confidence to overcome the obstacles they
encountered. They will also confirm the
fact that the strength of their passion to succeed played a major role in their
building acceptance and recognition from others. For them, it was the constant
force of passion that induced change, that encouraged them to break the rules, to
replace them with better ones, and to challenge the status quo and encourage
new ideas. And equally, it was the passion boiling within them that drove them
to reject ‘good enough’ and insisted on getting the ‘best you can.’
Warren
Buffett, the amazingly successful CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
Companies and one of the world’s richest men was forthright on the power of
passion when he declared:
"With passion you have energy.
Without passion, you have nothing"
In saying this, he was not only attesting that successful
entrepreneurs must not only be abundantly passionate about their task, but must
also have the energy to complete the mission they set themselves. In fact, this
energy went far beyond just completing the task at hand, and often served to
push the passion well beyond the original boundaries. Indeed, a review of the achievements
of the majority of successful people quickly reveals that their direction invariably
went beyond a single product or service, into such noble endeavors as disrupting
the status quo, or changing the world. Harriet Tubman, an amazingly
gifted African-American leader, who was born into slavery but whose life as an abolitionist,
political activist and liberator of slaves, demanded the highest quality of leadership
and entrepreneurship, beautifully placed the meaning of passion in the right
context when she observed:
“You
have within you the strength, the patience
and passion to
reach for the stars to change the world.”
The term ‘passion’
is derived from the Greek word, ‘pathos’, and connotes not only ‘feelings’
and ‘emotions’, but also ‘suffering’. The true power of
passion to be effective, must incorporate all these components working
together. It must involve the combination of a dream or an idea, the willingness
to expend the effort needed, and the courage to stay to the end. When these
components come together in an individual, a powerful and irresistible force is
established which infuses meaning and purpose into life, becomes a powerful
motivator for change, and a driving force to sustain it against fear and
uncertainty. A person who is successful in harnessing his passion will overcome
his insecurities and his doubts, he will rise above his obstacles and will hold
on to his beliefs, even as others will disagree.
Without
question, the presence of true passion is a strong and reliable engine to drive
hopes and dreams to fruition, and overcome the many obstacles along the way. When
passion is combined with ability and performance, the results can be dramatic
and exhilarating, and can lead to life changing consequences. And whenever
events such as these are completed, they can, and do indeed, change the world.
This indeed was the experience of Nelson Mandela, the great South
African freedom fighter and its first president of the new republic when he
declared:
"We can change the world and make it a better place.
It is in your hands to make a difference."
But passion
is neither an entitlement nor is it an endowment, but rather it can only be
acquired by commitment and dedication. Like so many of our unresolved dreams, it
quite often remains buried deep within our psyche as so much hoped-for fantasies,
and it will only awaken in a select few when the circumstances are right. It begins
only when those people are able to truly understand themselves and their needs,
are fully aware of their abilities and their strengths, and who have the
confidence of their beliefs and their self-worth to persevere. These are the
special people who are capable of finding and harnessing their passion to move
forward and fulfill their dreams. Steve Jobs was quite adamant that his passion
was nurtured by his vision and his love for the work he was doing, and from
nothing he had learnt or inherited. He was driven by a passion that grew
out of the inspiration to make the world better, and together these provided
an insatiable drive to succeed.
Simon
Sinek, a British born, American author and successful motivational speaker
very effectively defined the effort needed to satisfy a passion when he
observed:
"Working hard for something we don't care about is calked Stress.
Working hard fr something we love is called Passion."
This indeed is the true index that determines the power
of a passion. It has nothing to with the difficulty of the project, or the
amount of stress it may precipitate, but everything to do with the sense of
fulfillment and happiness it provides. Passion is the fuel that ensures the
fire of action, and the answer for living the dream. It is an uncontrollable
desire or thirst that can only be satisfied by its completion.
Passion as an emotion is
certainly not restricted to just a few special people, but belongs to all those
who are willing to listen to themselves and have the courage to believe in
themselves. Passion is the difference between just having to live and actually
choosing to live. It provides the
stimulus and the energy needed to overcome the pain and the obstacles that lie
in the way, and the confidence to stay the course. An ancient Hindu proverb explains this most effectively:
"When your life's purpose comes calling, nothing else will matter!
It will embrace you and you will be drawn into it."
This to me, perfectly exemplifies the true meaning of
passion. It is nature’s way of giving reason for ‘living’ and not just ‘surviving.’
It is the energy that separates the human being from the rest of the animal
kingdom.
-For without the gift of passion, life is reduced to merely survival, and
individual identity is lost to the herd instinct. Passion is indeed the true
meaning for life!
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