Developing Passion
Passion is a great word. We hear it used in songs and television shows and movies and even motivation speeches. Passion can be either good or bad.
Maybe passion causes you to conjure up thoughts of being with that special person in your life, maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend. We can all pretty naturally go there quickly. But the passion I write about in this post is the kind required for any of us to reach the highest levels of achievement and personal satisfaction.
The dictionary defines passion as strong and barely controllable emotion.
A couple of my favorite quotes about passion are from pretty famous people. The great South African revolutionary and President Nelson Mandela once remarked, “There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Good stuff!
That’s motivation to not settle for a life other than what God has planned for you. There are too many people living a settle for life. Are they totally happy? Probably not. Are they totally satisfied? I can confidently assure you, NO, they are not!
WOW! What a miserable life!
Pastor, businessman and TV host T.D.Jakes wrote, “If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” That’s great advice, especially for someone really wanting to find their purpose in life, which should be just about all of us!
So, if we can agree that passion is something we should have and life without it is a life not fully lived, here are just three things to consider to help in developing passion in your life:
Don’t underestimate the power of passion in your life and the need for it.
When you take the time to study many of the most successful people in the world, you’ll find at least one common denominator; namely, they’re passionate about what they do. It could be a business person, an athlete, a politician, a teacher, a mentor or thousands of other positions in life.
Look at the highest achievers in just about any industry or profession and, chances are, you’ll discover they’re passionate about what they do. It’s absolutely critical!
Be choosy about the folks you hang out with.
This boils down to influence. To one degree or another, each of us are influenced by those we hang around with.
Negative influences in our lives tend to be passion drainers. In fact, you’ll probably discover that those people in life who are the most pessimistic are folks who have little passion and purpose. It’s not that you neither like them nor love them. But sometimes you need to distance yourself from those negative influences at least until you find your passion. Learn to be selective about who you spend the majority of your time with.
When making decisions in life, learn to ask yourself, “How will this affect my future?”
Each of us are asked all the time to do things, go places, choose this or choose that. Most things we’re asked are pretty innocuous and have little if any consequence in our lives. I mean, really! How consequential can where you eat lunch be on your future destiny? No. What I’m referring to are the more critical decisions we face.
Which class should I register for? Should I apply for this job? Should I start my own business? Is this the one I’m supposed to marry? These are the kinds of questions that most if not all of us will face one day. And when we do, the question you MUST ask yourself is, “How will this affect my future?”
The answer to that question can either propel or inhibit you to or from developing true passion and purpose for your life.
While these questions are not exhaustive, answering these can help you develop passion and propel you toward a life of satisfaction both for you and those you love.
