Passion for Life Is a State of Being; Not a Destination

And you should absolutely be following yours

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It seems to be the latest trend right now to talk about how following your passion is a misguided or even a dangerous thing. The problem with this type of analysis is that such people have got passion all wrong. It may be fashionable, but in trying to be iconoclastic, these stories are missing the mark about what passion truly is.

Passion is not a specific job or a specific goal. It is not a destination. It is a feeling, a longing, a connection to something that is perhaps even outside of yourself. To not have passion in your life and your work is to be stagnant, blunted, and living in a kind of desert. Who would advocate for that?

As a life coach, the single most important question that I ask my clients is, “What do you want?” I believe that following your desires and passions is the best way to live a fulfilling life. The difference between trying to work on a goal that you have no juice around and working on one that is calling your name is nearly always the difference between failure and success.

The authentic motivation that stems from passion is what powers accomplishment. Thomas Edison would have given up on creating the storage battery if he hadn’t had a passion for discovering how to make it work. Instead, he conducted over 10,000 experiments with different types of chemicals and materials before eventually creating an alkaline storage battery that did what it was supposed to.

Even though Edison had a specific destination in mind, what he was truly engaged in was the process of discovery. This was the true passion! When Edison’s friend and associate Walter S. Mallory once commented, “Isn’t it a shame that with the tremendous amount of work you have done you haven’t been able to get any results?” Edison replied with a smile, “Results! Why, man, I’ve gotten lots of results! I know several thousand things that won’t work!”

It’s true that wanting something badly enough is no guarantee that you will ultimately get it, but being unduly utilitarian is an impediment to greatness. The purpose of passion, of chasing whatever it is that is calling your name right now, is to use that engagement and excitement as fuel.