We have already discussed what Passion is, now we will learn as to the benefits of having passion in your life and what that can mean for your development of self, and for you’re those that are around you. However, since we know what passion is, since we understand in new ways what we can do with it (we’ll clarify this more in this article), lets discover where it comes from.
The answer may disappoint; there are many theories but no defining conclusion. Some people adhere to the idea that passion stems from our DNA, that you have a ‘passion gene’ if you will which separates you from the rest of society. Gives you a relentless drive to face your fears and chase your dreams. However, this theory may cause us to question our freedom of choices. If your DNA is coded to chase passion is it all already mapped out for us?
Some people may feel that their lives are pre-determined, that there is an order to which they must adhere to. This is a subscription to the idea that everything happens for a reason, but that within that we still have choice. As an example, we ultimately still decide our partners, our children’s names, career choices, following that and since many people ultimately become unhappy with those choices, then the idea of free choice and will still exists. The counter argument to that would be that it all happens for a reason. Perhaps, perhaps not, if passion is linked to our DNA then we haven’t yet found it, and considering the vastness of DNA mapping we may never find it. Besides, if we believe something like that, then it certainly makes a lot of humanity sound defective of sorts if they fail to have one particular gene.
We could also subscribe to a notion of purpose and throw that in there as well. That everything is here for a reason, the thing with that idea is the notion that you may not be here for your freedom, but you may be here for someone other than yourself. What separates us from the rest of the Natural Order is our ability to think, question and when we question we can challenge that thinking and grow, develop and change. We have the ability to ask ourselves such profound questions like
‘Why am I here?’
and we have the capacity to arrive at some kind of answer from that, when adding questions such as
‘what do I do with life’
you’ll inevitably arrive at some epiphany where the answer will just emerge, where the words seem right and where you’ll arrive at the secret/not so secret formula to put more passion back into your life.
When you have passion in your life, you’re going to be producing energy. Love him or hate him,Donald Trump once stated that
‘Without passion, you don’t have energy; without energy, you don’t have passion’
and this is certainly a true statement. If you’re lacking passion you won’t have a forward moving plan, and you’re just going to be stagnant and lifeless and never living up to your true potential. The energy stems from a desire to do what you need to do and what you love.
Let’s bring in politics into this, without commenting on political stances, people enter into politics because they see a need to change things. Their passion lies in their country and whatever political fence that they sit in they want to inspire change, and lead the country into a direction that they feel is the best way to move forward. That is why passion brings energy, it brings desire and it brings life into you. Without passion, without energy, you would not have the drive to do something different, you would not strive towards a particular goal.
The same concept can be applied to entertainers, singers, doctors and even game designers. They are passionate about helping people, or passionate about the creation of something that is new, ground breaking and it is their goal to bring that forth and into the world. Passion brings about an energy which is unparalleled in life, because the end goal is generally the creation of something, or to achieve a particular thing, without passion, we would not have had the energy or the drive to explore not only our world, but space. Without passion we would not have landed on the moon and without passion we would have no desire to learn about our place on not only the Planet we live on, but also our place within the universe.
As such, passion benefits us by allowing us to focus on change, and movement. Moving forward and the betterment of individuals, or people as a collective and we move forward towards this creation, towards our goal, towards our thinking in order to create a positive environment. There’s a fundamental difference between a leader that exists, and a passionate leader. Whether that be in the political spectrum, or even in the management team at work, they’re all striving for the same thing. A betterment of sorts of a particular situation, place or thing which creates a positive environment not only within the context that they are working in, but also within the greater context of where they are situated against others within the world. This energy that we gain from passion is relentless, it does not die out until it is achieved.
That is the odd thing about passion, take for example a singer. The changes that occur with each subsequent album, the direction that they take. They still have obtained the same passion with the same level of enthusiasm and energy, but it continually manifests itself into something different. Their passion grows, changes, transcends into new and exciting things meaning that the end goal is never the same. They may reach the top of their game, reach the pinnacle, but they will still not be happy because passion is not about getting to the top and sitting there in a stagnant fashion. That is a goal within passion, and a goal and a passion are two different things.
A goal is often a personal achievement; I will be able to do X when I get to Y. But the thing is clear that X is rarely completed. Let’s look for a moment at Bill Gates. He had reached the top of the IT ladder, was ‘king’ of silicone valley for a time, and he departed that world in order to instigate change with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. An organization which promotes health and education in lower socio economic areas in the world. He gave up his corporate lifestyle to purse a passion, and with each passing goal that he achieves through that foundation, it becomes one step ‘closer’ to achieving his passion.
However, most passions can never be completed, and that is why passion is so infectious, why it can ignite the flame in other people which we will pass on the torch for them to carry for us when we are no longer able. The torch of passion which sparks the fire in someone else. Passionate people give off energy, a positive energy which encompasses all around them, it doesn’t necessarily inspire them to achieve the same passion as their ‘passion’ mentor, but it certainly has the potential to spark a differing passion in an individual, from the cycle begins again. If the same torch is reignited in someone else, then the passion becomes a vision.
Passion will drive visions and will see goals being continually accomplished long after the initial flame of passion is gone. When it comes to businesses, it is the leaders passion which drives the company, it is a vision which can sometimes be transferred to everyone else in the company as the leaders vision is synonymous with the company, and the positive energy rubs off on everyone within the company as the vision of the organization is constantly being communicated to not just the employees, but also the general populace. There is a quote out there, which is often attributed to John Wesley that refers to passion. Whilst there is no evidence to support the idea that it was Wesley’s quote, it is still an important quote when considering the benefits of passion.
“When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.”
Passion breeds fire, and everyone loves the warmth that it provides. Passion will breed influence as more and more people become attracted to it as they strive to achieve their desires. With this, will come new opportunities, as more and more people will become aligned to a leader’s passion. With them, they will bring their own histories, contexts and connections in the world which in turn can lead to new and better experiences and events and opportunities. Passion is an interesting concept, it’s a driving concept that we take through life and use it as a vehicle for success to achieve our goals.