Passion is the fact that brings out the best in us. Aristotle wrote: ‘All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion and desire.’ Passion is not very difficult to define. It is clearly about two words “I can”. If reaching the top is the aim, then passion is the vehicle to opt for.
Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what he loves. It is about being blind since birth and yet having the communication that you can make it and it is about being deaf and composing some of the best and profoundest music even like Beethoven did. It is about not being blind and deaf but dumb and becoming another Helen Keller. The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself and carry you away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion. It is the current which he puts forth, which sweeps you along in his passion. It is about being kicked out of school and then becoming the world’s leading tycoon and changing the way the world works like Bill Gates has done.
Regardless of where you are in career, passion at work will show how to be meaningful to your work and provide the tools to powerfully align your passions, proficiencies and priorities, creating your place in the minds of the people, in fact, creating your own niche, so that you can be known by what you do. Nothing is so intolerable to man as being fully at rest, without a passion, without business, without entertainment, without care.
People who are passionate about their work are a boon to any organization as they are high achievers and always remain out driven and motivated and that is why there is a big difference between people who just work and people who work passionately, and of course this is what crafts the difference between success and failure. It is almost like saying that great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion.
My philosophy is that there are two ways to have passion for our work. One is to do what we love and the other is to come to love what we do. Our work takes the largest portion of time each day, and to be unhappy during this time lowers the quality of our lives to such a degree that no matter how much fun we try to squeeze in during our time off, it can never compensate. So it is actually a great idea to fill moments with the colors of passion and in the process end up churning out results that help you reach the top.
Are there any steps one can take to kindle passion? Well, for one, try to shut all other thoughts and diversions that may be fighting to get your attention and focus deeply on the task at hand. This simple art of focus is what passion is all about. It is important then to keep on thinking about the happiness that the moments of involvement gave and this in turn will make you take up the next task with the same vigor and zest.
Even Virgil remarked that it is not your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. Your work must reflect and be imbued with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling. Then indeed, life deserves passion as an adjective!
[Arvind Passey]
[2006]
Written for PT Education
