The Oxford dictionary describes passion as:
1. A strong and barely uncontrollable emotion
2. Intense sexual love
3. An intense desire or enthusiasm for something
4. A thing arousing great enthusiasm
When one has a passion for something, they will give their full commitment and attention to it. They will be willing to sacrifice their time, money and home comforts. When I think of just how much missionaries give up; most had a stable life and a regular monthly income yet they gave this up in order to pursue their passion, their cause. Gone is the house they made into a home, the family and friends they spent time with, the income they comfortably lived on. Some (not all I know) live in basic accommodation, are required to learn a new language in order to communicate with the locals, are required to change their diet and climatise to a new country.
It takes passion (and purpose) to take this bold step. I have the upmost of respect for people who follow their passion. It is impossible to do anything whole heartedly if you do not have a passion for it. When the challenges come (which they will), you will begin to step backwards questioning why you took on the task in the first place.
The late Steve Jobs quoted:
“You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you are not passionate enough from the start, you will never stick it out.”
I cannot agree enough with this quote. Key figures in society, past and present, have one thing in common – they knew their cause and it was this very thing that kept them moving forward even in times of adversity. The late Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa are a few ‘game changers’ who come to mind.
I have two main passions; one is to teach and encourage others and the other is to write. I will happily sacrifice my time in order to feed/fulfil these passions and have done so in a number of ways.
Your passion is personal to you. It should not be measured by someone else’s passion. It is yours to run with – go to it!
Are you working in line with your passion?
organisedlady 
Hi Phoenicia,
For the longest time I wasn’t sure I had a passion until I realized what it really was. I’m definitely in line with mine now and I did sacrifice a lot of my time and money to move forward and that was helping others.
That might sound like a vague answer but I seriously love helping people to the point that I did it for free for so long which hurt me financially. My heart just goes out to people and I wanted to be the one to help them even at my own expense. I’ll still do it but I’ve had to now get smarter about it. I’ll never stop, that’s for sure.
~Adrienne
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My blog is one of my passions. I am always learning how to improve it by learning how to write better. Always sourcing materials on the internet etc. Passion has always been a great drive for me. Thanks for sharing Phoenicia
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Safari – there is so much information on the Intranet. It helps when you are stuck on a theme for your blog!
You are welcome.
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I actually think that my blog is one of my passions. I enjoy making it better with each post. I’m also enjoying the growth that is coming with that hard work that I’m doing with it.
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Jason – my blog is one of my passions too. It does take sacrifice and commitment.
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I read a statement a long time ago that resonated with me. Talent isn’t a gift, the ‘gift” is the passion. And it’s so true. Someone who is living a life of passion, doesn’t think ,”I’ll show them when I get , the job, the person, the life”. Artists create, writers, write, builders build all the time, it’s who they are.
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Passion keeps us alive and focused on the things that matter. Without it, we are just mulling through life with no sense of purpose.
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I struggle to find that necessary amount of passion to truly carry about an idea to its ultimate fruition. I was recently talking about that to a friend, how we are good at many things, but ultimately no passionate enough to have one great interest that trumps all others. Jobs quotes makes so much sense. One has to burn with passion to see an idea through.
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Jeri – your passions are obviously working for you! Your novel, proof reading and editing skills, your blog.
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I feel that at this point in life, I’m working in line with my passion. It took some time and a lot of experience to discover my passion in life. It is probably the same for everyone else.
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Our immediate priorities are having food to eat, clothes on our back and a roof over our heads. Usually once these areas are covered we can focus on our passion. As you say it can take a long time to get to that point.
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You bring up the example of missionaries and what they give up to follow what they are passionate about. But for others, the home, family and friends may be exactly the thing that they are most passionate about.
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Yes Ken. Our passions lay in many different areas. Once we find it, we should pursue it.
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Passion is a wonderful motivator. The struggle happens when people don’t have passion for anything. It’s so sad. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes, very sad that some people do not possess day to day passion. It is impossible to have enthusiasm without it.
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Sometimes, we must accept a change with our passion.
Mine was pro wrestling, I ate, slept and talked wrestling all the time. I longed to get back to the ring. I worked out every day, and trained nonstop.
Now that I am older, I cannot wrestle, at least as good as I once did, My passion for wrestling is still there, but now it is to train others to do it.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
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You are welcome William. Sports have definite cut off points whereas other hobbies/passions can be done until old age.
When you mentioned training I thought of Rocky’s trainer Mickey, in Rocky Balboa!
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This is another perfectly timed post for me to read! The BHB group is on a roll today. Phoenicia, with getting laid off from my day job, I am thankful to be in a place right now where I can take my time and search out the next right thing in support of my passion. My passion is and always has been writing, but I’ve invariably allowed practicalities to drive my decisions. Not so now. At age 56, it’s time to make the leap to devoting myself to the passion and seeing where it leads. I’m praying daily for the right direction!
Yours–writing & teaching…wonderful things to have enthusiasm about!
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I am glad that my blog has encouraged you. Now is the time for you to focus on the things that you enjoy.
Thank you for being so open.
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My last job – managing a charity – was something I was passionate about and took great pride in. Now that I’m retired I am able to devote myself to another passion of mine – lavender. And passion energizes, making goals achievable.
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The charity business sounds interesting Lenie.
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Inspiring as always Phoenicia and while it took awhile to get to the point where I could dedicate myself to it the way I really wanted to it is a great place to be. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Marquita – thank you!
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Passion is so important. I always followed my passion in life. Then I spent a couple of years working a very “practical” job, and I was happy for a little while. But then I just grew restless and that is when I became an entrepreneur. It is hard to trade a good stable paycheck for passion, but for me, it has been totally worth it. I just don’t buy as many luxuries anymore.
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Erica – setting up a business takes guts but as you said it is worth it.
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Wow how timely for me today! Laugh! Passion has always been a great driver for me. I’ve always been puzzled by people who go to work and don’t love it. I don’t know how they do it. I was always lucky enough to find work that I felt passionate about, and I think it contributed to my success. Hope the same holds true, for my next project…which I am so passionate about:)
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Jacquie – you are fortunate to havè only worked in roles you enjoy. It makes such a difference.
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Yes, it is wonderful to be able to work with your passion. Mine is helping women entrepreneurs to succeed and I love it.
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Good on you Beth. One day I hope to be in your position!
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Whenever I’m passionate about something I always succeed, no matter how difficult it seems. Because what happens is you connect with the universal source of creativity and come up with solutions that are new and innovative. If you are not passionate about something you don’t connect to that source and usually fail. Tried something recently that is a fantastic money maker so I felt I should give it a go. Catch is I really have no interest in it, so I stopped working on that project.
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Thanks for being honest Catarina. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another.
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