The Power of Passion

                  

The Power of Passion

Earlier this week, I met up with a few long time friends to celebrate the holidays. We had a great time conversing about old experiences and laughter filled the room. It was so nice to see everyone. Sometimes I miss the old days because my life seemed so much simpler back then.


During my visit, I struck up a conversation with a very bright young man named Bryon. I was telling him about my plans for She’s So Fly and fishing and he was telling me about his experiences mountain climbing the Summit etc. During our conversation, he complimented me on my display of passion and he mentioned that there are very few people he ever meets who express passion and/or seem to be passionate about anything...he said that he often asks people “what they are passionate about” out of curiosity, and he said that approx. 99% of them have no answer. When he asked me this question, I immediately replied, charity (helping others less fortunate), fishing and art.


Never the less, I found our conversation to be very thought provoking and I began to wonder.... What is passion? What does it mean when one has passion? What separates people with passion and those without passion? So I began to research the internet and came across an article about passion written by Brian Norris that helped me put the meaning of passion in perspective:


What is Passion? Passion is a gift of the spirit combined with the totality of all the experiences we've lived through. It endows each of us with the power to live and communicate with unbridled enthusiasm. Passion is most evident when the mind, body and spirit work together to create, develop and articulate or make manifest our feelings, ideas and most sacred values.


Passion enables us to overcome obstacles (both real and imagined) and to see the world as a place of infinite potential. The passionate spirit looks at every occurrence and discovers the golden kernels of what can be, what should be and what will be.


Passion has its own energy -- an energy that's observable and transferable.


Best of all, you can't fake it. Almost anyone, with only a bit of intuitiveness, can spot the charlatan. We can smell the lying wolf. We can sense a lack of sincerity, authenticity and depth. We can inhale the bitter, infectious dryness of the imposter's soul.


That's precisely why passion is powerful litmus in determining the authenticity of an individual, an organization, a product or service. It supersedes the allure of expensive clothing and luxury vehicles. It makes transparent the hyperbole of the marketing gnomes and branding banshees. It strips away the thin veneer that separates what is said and what really is. The power of passion forces us to see others as who they are, who they are becoming and often, who they can never be.


Many men and women run from personal and professional passion because they're afraid of being burned. Past relationships that ended in searing pain. Trusts and confidences that were betrayed. Risk that lead to reprimand. Grand visions that suffocated beneath the heavy pillows of nays sayers, soulless logic and overzealous egos.


Consequently, they're afraid of taking the risks that come with living life to its fullest. Most people have touched the fringes of true passion, if only for the briefest moments, at the most unexpected junctures in their lives.


What we all need is a global return to passion.


Can you imagine how much more meaningful our roles as parents, lovers, business owners, marketers, teachers and leaders (community, corporate and spiritual) would be if all of our actions were predicated upon our diverse passions.


Imagine a world where we lived for the moment and spent more time enjoying reality than trying to escape it. Imagine a place where we didn't need lawyers to go before judges, psychologists to tell us that we have emotional problems, or clergy to talk to the Creator for us.


The real sin is lacking the courage to express our convictions and zest for life. It should be a crime to bottle up the passion you once felt as a youth so that you'll fit into a controlled corporate environment or circle of associates. In fact, the closest we can come to a physical hell is the unforgivable action of refusing to say what needs to be said, not singing what was meant to be sung or forcing ourselves to no longer feel what was intended to be felt.


Passion shapes our existence, fuels the fires of inspiration and makes the heart and mind open to changes all around us. It is food for the soul, a spark that re-illuminates our purpose and mission for being here. Passion is yours to experience and revel in. And even if it causes you to scrape your knees or fall into that raging river called life, passion is your birthright. It is within you. It is yours to discover and master.


That is the power of passion and this She’s So Fly girl has it. Do you?


What are you passionate about?


Article source: http://www.briannorris.com/passion/what-is-passion.html


Brian Norris is the author of Escape Life Sucks Syndrome. He is the owner of Milwaukee's Best Massage, and speaks to organizations about the need for personal and professional passion and positivity. You can reach Brian by calling 414-899-1905 or emailing info@briannorris.com