Note from Brett: this post is as much for me as it is for you, the reader. Enjoy!
Where has all the passion gone, man?
Where did it go?
Odds are – it hasn’t gone anywhere. You just choose not to feel it, because you’re scared.
Scared? Yep. You’re scared. You’re scared of showing your passion to the outside world, scared to show that you’re passionate about anything, because you’re too “cool” and “understated” and “minimal” and “stoic” to show how passionate you are about things. Things like this blog, self-development, your health, living a good life, giving yourself the tools to build a business in the future, and, yes – just having fun.
Why are you scared? Because no one else around you (in real life) is clearly passionate and you’re afraid of attracting attention?
You need to show your passion precisely because no one else will. It’s an act of defying the status quo – and one of inspiration. Maybe everyone else is waiting for someone else to show their passion and fire, so then they’ll be able to be comfortable to be passionate too. Be that first person.
Passion Is A Choice
One of my favorite sections of the book Linchpin by Seth Godin is his take on passion:
Does your job match your passion?
Or does your passion match your job?
Conventional wisdom is that you should find a job that matches your passion. I think this is backwards.
I’ve argued repeatedly that your product should match your marketing, not the other way around, and the same inversion is true here. Transferring your passion to your job is far easier than finding a job that happens to match your passion.
The argument: we all have some stores of “passion” inside us, just waiting to be expressed. Waiting around for the right job/environment/network/whatever other excuse you can find to show up so you can express your passion is straight-up bogus. All that means is that you’re waiting for someone else’s permission to be passionate – and I don’t know about you guys, but I hate waiting around for other people.
I’m sick of waiting to produce my best work and to shine like I know I can. I’m sick of going through my days feeling apathetic and uninspired – all the inspiration I can possibly need is inside me. I have the passion, the desire to do great work everywhere I go, no matter what my “job” is. I want to serve as that inspiring firebrand who brings excitement everywhere he goes – so I can inspire others who are just waiting to unleash their passion to do the same.
All of the excuses, from now on, won’t fly. They can’t have any effect on me, now that I’ve realized that my passion should not be limited any more by where I am (I hold back a lot since I’m not in college yet, where things really matter). If I can use my passion for doing great work to help people now – why should I bother waiting? Because they’re not “worthy”? Of course they’re worthy of your passion! Never underestimate the power of the butterfly effect.
Here’s your mission, should you choose to accept it: feel excited at the prospect of living and doing the things that you do. Look in wonder at everything that you’re doing, and think of all the possibilities.
Example: I’m writing this blog post. Odds are, when I post this up, a few people (around 10 or so) are going to feel moved enough to comment on it. Dozens more will read it and think, “Wow, that’s a great post. I want to start bringing passion into my life now.” And there’s probably going to be one person who feels totally enlightened by reading this post – they’re going to become a passionate firebrand who starts getting excited over everything. This post will be a life-changer for them – all because I brought my passion in this post.
That’s… really cool.
And just think – those same things could happen every single time I act on my passion, no matter what it is or where I do it.
That’s incredibly inspiring and exciting.
Wow!
Thanks, Mel
Yo Brett, I too go about my life creating the best work I can possibly do wherever I go. Personally I find it makes life much more interesting and exciting. I’ll also back you up with regards to the butterfly affect. I have already seen how my passion has rubbed off on others and it is a greatly satisfying sight!
Stay cool
Dom
Hey Dom,
That’s awesome! Keep doing what you’re doing, man
Don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing, Brett.
I am telling you this: I am more of the latter 3rd category that you mentioned: who feels totally enlightened after reading your post.
You could never know how you might have silently/quietly/secretly inspired someone, or even many people in your life and on the Net and more!
You have actually inspired me to also go inspire people more, hence, the butterfly effect! See how ONE change can lead/snowballing into another changes? That’s how Energy works in this Universe
And I’ve found out that there will always be “negative Energy” (people who’ll naysay and tell you it’s useless, not worth it, grow out of it, etc etc),
),
but as well there will also always be “positive Energy” everywhere, sometimes you just have to search wider & deeper to find it, and then CONNECT with ‘em (Internet is a great tool that make this ‘connection’ MUCH more easier! as proven by me ‘connecting’ with you here now, Brett. so thanks for it!
or even if you can’t “find” those positive Energy, I now concur with you, and also exactly like what Gandhi once said: then just “BE the CHANGE you want to see in the world!”.
Don’t wait. You’re right.
Niki,
Thanks for contributing so much value with your comments, my friend. I just remembered that I promised to answer you a question about the butterfly effect and never got around to it! Expect an email in your inbox soon, my friend
And here are some great inspiring quotes from great figures that I have saved as motivation as well:
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what yo truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one” – John Lennon, in his song Imagine
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things, they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
“History shows us that the people who end up changing the world — the great political, social, scientific, technological, artistic, even sports revolutionaries — are always nuts, until they are right, and then they are geniuses.” – John Eliot
Here’s a great page filled with very inspiring quotations from the people who have lived before us:
http://quotations.about.com/od/moretypes/a/LongQuotations.htm
See, it’s all about CONNECTING with the “universal Truth”, and then continue BE-ing the Best of Yourself, and continue connecting (& sharing, inspiring) with others! We are all Energy!
life is not about passion but action too..if you have passion but don’t have action you will not get what you want. That’s why many people can’t achieve their one goal even they have passion on that.
Donny,
Passion necessarily leads to action. That’s why it’s so important; it’s the force that causes people to actually take action…
Most people don’t achieve their goals because they end up plateauing, become disenchanted/tired, and give up. The passion isn’t enough to get them through the rough patches that inevitably happen.
Thank you for commenting!
I read and hear so much about passion these days. It seems that if you are not doing something you’re passionate about or doing whatever it is you’re doing with passion….something’s wrong.
OK. I get that part. I’m sure that if I knew what it was that lit me up, I would do it. “Do great work”? Pretty general. Putting passion into whatever is is that your doing (if I’m understanding the Lynchpin excerpt correctly)? Sure. Right. I’m on it.
Here’s the deal. Maybe my passion got buried a long time ago in my quest to get along and make a living or gain the approval of my peers. Maybe I had a passion that was extinguished by the naysayers and pragmatists. Who knows? All I know, for sure, is that I have no passion for what I’m doing or the life I’m living. Worse, I have no idea on how to discover the supposed passion I’m missing.
Run off on a world tour to “find myself”? Quit my job, leave my wife and deplete my entire life savings to run after something that’s interesting?
Nah. I’m certain that living a life full out with “passion” is a lot more enjoyable than making it day-by-day. Just give me a hint on how to find what that thing is, will ya?
Ken,
The idea behind the Linchpin quote is that you have the passion inside of you already – it’s just a matter of channeling it.
To wait to find something that totally lights your fire is useless; you may end up waiting forever. Instead, you should find ways to become passionate about the things that you CAN do, right now. Whether that’s becoming the best dishwasher, writer, house-cleaner, or whatever else you find yourself doing on a given day, you can pour your passion and energy into it.
Passion is a loaded term, so look at it this way – if you’re willing to approach things by giving them your enthusiasm, energy, and unwavering focus, you’re behaving like someone who’s passionate.
Hope that helped! If it didn’t, let me know
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
by Marianne Williamson
Jasper,
Absolutely. That’s one of my favorite quotes, so thank you for sharing it here!
+1 for me , great post!
Thank you so much, Mike!
Now we know who the senbsile one is here. Great post!