Passion ? Purpose? Or both?

Cathy is an interior decorator. She’ll bring together a top-quality team of designers and recreate your abode in a time span of six months. And in the seventh month, Cathy will leave for her dream vacation where she will plan on how to spend that handsome check you paid her with in other charming ways such as travel through Europe or learn scuba diving.

A 28 year old London stockbroker Nicholas Winton saved 669 Jewish children who were ordained for Nazi concentration camps and encountered almost certain death in the Holocaust. The only thing that set him apart from the rest of us was his humanity and compassion for those in need.

This world can be divided between two sets of people.

Some like Rachel-self-made.

Some like Nicholas-influenced.

These self-made people are good-planners. They are always looking forward to life. They usually know what they love and build their career, relationships etc. around it. In my case I wanted to become a baker so I can eat all sorts of cakes. For breakfast. Every day.

Then there are the influenced types. Their hearts ache when they see humanity suffer. Like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. These people get influenced to serve or fight for others. For justice. For equality. For the needy. Better yet they attract and influence others to follow them too. Bonus points they often earn a place in the history.

Now these two sets of people have two things in common.

Passion and purpose.

The only difference is that the former sought after passion with a purpose while the latter discovered a purpose with passion.

At some point I am going to get bored of chocolate cakes. Eventually everyone will. Even after earning a scuba driver’s license or after that travel through Europe, Cathy will get bored too. Because science says passion induced happiness is just a reward to your ego.

So for us to live a purposeful life, I realize the only way is to stop seeking after passion with a purpose and instead discover the purpose of our life with passion.