PASSION

Albert Einstein once said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” 

Passion is the biggest driving force in anyone’s life. It is said that a life without passion is a life ill-lived! We have seen many people rise to fame as they had the passion that drove them to excellence, on the flip side an ill-directed passion has led people to their own demise.

Well, to understand passion it is very important to understand the exact definition of passion: ‘Passion is any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling’ In our lives, we would have at minimum once witnessed passion for something, someone which would have led us to excel in that discovery. The fulfilment one gets when their passion is rewarded with an equally positive result is exhilarating.

The formula for passion in simple words is: When you ‘Believe’ in something and then you ‘Research’ about that belief it results in creating ‘Passion’ to drive you to ‘Excellence’

BELIEF + RESEARCH = PASSION

What happens when passion goes out of hand?

It becomes an OBSESSION – fights, conflicts, lawsuits, murders, losses in business, all happen because one believes in something or somebody and that thing or person does not fulfil its purpose of taking our passion in the correct direction. Day in day out we see instances of misled or misdirected passion. These instances bring us to one question – How does the person who is in the throes of passion get to understand or know when to stop or take a step back, or in business terms ‘when to pull the plug?’ You have to view the situation from a third-person perspective, look at it neutrally without attaching any emotions or personal feelings in it. It is very difficult to be able to do that, but there is no better solution than this.

What are industry cases of passion?

We have such brilliant examples of individuals with well-guided passion; these legends have surely shown the right way we can channel our passion into positivity without it driving us to the edge of darkness, solitude, negativity or loss.

Lata Mangeshkar – her passion for music has won her loads and loads of accolades, awards and even now at the age of 90 years, she has not yet hung up her sandals!

We have actors like Amitabh Bachchan, (everybody in India knows this legend’s story) who was rejected by All India Radio for his voice quality and also from movies for being very lanky until he persisted with passion and cracked his first movie ‘Saat Hindustani’ in 1969.

Adolf Hitler – he does not need any introduction, he is the perfect example of self-obsessed, misdirected passion which he pursued until the very end of his life.

What are the drivers of passion?

Belief, research, conviction, focus, commitment and curiosity.

Difference between DRIVE & PASSION – Drive is like zeal, and passion is what comes from your inner core belief system. Without your passion to show you the way, you will not know what you will drive towards. It is like, drive is the vehicle that will take you towards your goal and passion is the fuel you need to keep the vehicle running.

DETERMINATION v/s PASSION – Determination is the perseverance to complete a task whether you like it or not, passion is more deep-rooted, it is what motivates one to complete a task.

THE ROLE OF AMBITION – Success of all types begins with passion. Passion originates from the simple love of doing something, whereas ambition drives your passion towards the destinations you aspire to reach. Ambition transforms your passion from a thought to a thing. It moves your passion from your heart and transmutes it into the determination to follow through on the actions which must be performed to produce the results you are aiming for. The stronger your passion for something, the more intense your ambition. You must, with tremendous conviction, love what you do. With deep passion backed by ambition, the impossible becomes possible.

“Passion will move men beyond themselves, beyond their shortcomings, beyond their failures” – Joseph Campbell

Passion is something you don’t get in your genes, you don’t inherit; you have to show your commitment towards this cuckoo bird called passion, or else it will lay its eggs in someone else’s nest.

Our future generation – GenZ’s, have a different understanding of Passion in this Renewed Society. These youngsters have got everything that we could only dream of; be it job options, study options, career options, global exposure and many such privileges (it’s not that they got it easy, but they are spoilt for choices)! I believe we will now see many passion seekers more persistently chasing their passions, and creating an impact like never before.