What the Successful Have in Common: Passion

Earlier in the Series

• Introduction: What Do the Most Successful People Have in Common?
• What the Successful People Have in Common, Part 1: Breaking Rules
• Success Qualities Part 1b: Blowing Your Own Horn-How to Do it Right

Passion is defined as an intense emotion that compels feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something. My own definition for the purpose of this chapter is the ‘type of feeling you feel about something that makes you feel like you’re really feeling some feeling’.

Passion is the single most important quality shared by all successful people in life or if you like, people who are making real significant impact in some areas in life. Everybody can be okay in something; we can all be average in one thing or the other, but crossing the line of just average to genius doesn’t just take everybody anyhow, it takes individuals with this intense feeling about what they set themselves to do.

My big brother won National Best Teacher Award in 2010. When my sister called to inform me, I wasn’t shocked at all because when I dug deep into his award and considered the way he handles his profession, I could see it happening several years back. His passion for teaching is intense.

With a degree in accounting and commerce, he could strive to secure a high-paying job with a financial institution but he rather chose to teach in elementary school. Surely, that is not what I would choose. To him, there’s not a single day he regrets what he does. He’s not the type of teacher who pupils sleep in class because of the level of enthusiasm with which he executes his duty. Some may envy the physical award that was given him, but I know that what he cherishes most is the pride of living as a National Best Teacher for the rest of this life. That is passion.

If you’re passionate about what you do, it should show in every aspect of your life, not life at the office or laboratory. Go out today and shake hands with people you call successful and who demonstrate passion in what they do. Their handshakes are firm and warn. A lukewarm, conservative, pull-back handshake can be associated with disinterest in what is a person is engaged in. It may even affect the way you smile or otherwise.

When I started writing on the blog, I used to write and read my own posts for months before I started building some readership. The only thing that kept me at it was my passion in what I’m doing. Passion is a must to make the extra mile after the first few steps.

If you don’t have it in what you do, it’s time to start asking really tough questions to ascertain if what you’re doing is indeed, what you should be doing. Ask deep questions; don’t scratch the surface for fear you might find something you don’t like. There’s a relationship between the kinds of intense feelings I’m discussing here and the ‘right fit’. Though you may have your salary and all the benefits that come with it doubled, it will still be very difficult to be truly passionate about what you’re doing if it’s not the right fit.

Activity:

List down some tasks, causes, projects, etc you’re passionate about.

An easier way to identify these is to take a piece of paper and list down about 10 things you do and never see time flying. These may likely be your passion.

If you’re lucky to have some of these are your usual daily activities, you’re blessed. Strive to be the best in them.

If these activities are far removed from the things you do on a day-to-day basis, consider incorporating some of these activities into your daily routine, even if it means volunteering in a place where you can get the chance to exhibit your passion.

Have something to Share? Go ahead and contribute.

To be continued