5 things you need to understand about passion

At work, we hear it so often, so much so that some of us don’t even understand how to use it outside of a work context. ‘Sami is ‘passionate about delighting customers’. ‘Dora is passionate about inventory’… Just. Stop. Already. Passion can be said to be an obsessive, a strong emotion you have inside of you. Passion wakes you up in the morning, keeps you going even when all hope seems lost.

Here are five things you need to understand about passion.

1. Passion is not always that big, grand idea

Often times we spend the better part of our lives, waiting for that groundbreaking idea, revolution that will catapult us to the world stage, earn us loads of money and respect. More often than not our passion is what we are already doing great.

It could be caring for others, have you ever come across that person that can never say no to an opportunity to help? That’s passion, its all-consuming. Ideas are not always great on its own, ideas need passion. Ideas and need YOU. Yes, your passionate self, to bring it to life.

2. Passion isn’t just a dream or a hobby

When you ask most people what their passion is, they mistake it for a hobby or a dream. A passion is what compels you to stay ahead of the competition, to break the norm.

An example is, someone who is a passionate human rights activist, even in the face of daunting challenges he will speak up for the voiceless, often times putting his life in harm’s way, activism doesn’t mean you commenting as ‘anonymous’ in the comment section of blogs, using big words and impressing people with your knowledge.

A hobby is something you love to do and can actually do, at your own pace, a moderate level, no deadlines, and no pressure to make life altering decisions. Passion needs your commitment, drive, often times manic actions to sustain itself.

3. Passion is buildable

Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘he/she gradually worked himself/herself up into a passion?’ Not all of us are born ready, we build on our interests until that dream becomes a full on passion. You go all out, when people think you are crazy, when we invest lots of man-hours, devotion, a level of obsessive, compelling actions as well.

We can build on our hobby and dreams and take them far, but when we fail to throw our weight behind those things we love to do or changes we will like to see in our community, then it will remain what it is just a hobby or a dream.

4 Passion is Ambitious

Passion is closely associated with drive, desire for something a ‘can’t stop, won’t stop attitude’, commitment, mania, craze, ambition. Passionate people are almost always ambitious, they are determined to succeed, and they are enterprising, pioneering, committed, go-getters. Ambitious people understand competition and they want to have a say in their areas of endeavor.

They understand that they can also be their greatest competition and are very self-aware, even when they don’t let you see it.

5 Passion is being vulnerable.

Vulnerability in this case is that point where you are so invested in an idea you risk being ridiculed, risk failing publicly, even sometimes losing capital invested. Sometimes, people advise you to shrink your universe, ‘girl don’t be too ambitious in your expectations’, but the passionate person puts a whole lot of themselves inside their passion, they are fully devoted.

We all know that it’s not always sunny and bright all the way when you are following your passion, there is a lot of sweat, anger, strive for perfectionism. Passion does not stop to check ‘do they think I am crazy?’

What really is your passion? After reading this you need to find it, if you have already found it you need to re-evaluate your efforts. That little thing you go back to once every year and call it your passion, may just remain a hobby or a wishful dream if you don’t fire it up today.

Or, maybe you have come to the shocking realization that you don’t have any passions? Truth is passion can be like talent, some of us think we are not gifted with it, but I think the problem is not everyone is brave enough to embrace their passion, most of us prefer to be safe than to be interpreted as impetuous when we chose to follow our passions, our heart.

Most people never achieve their passions, don’t be like most people. Follow your passion.

Article written by Chineze Ademola-Aina

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