Are you passionate about what you do?

Like or Passion?

Today’s post is about the difference between liking something and being passionate about it. This is a critical topic for anyone considering making a career change or starting their own business.

I’m so excited.  I can hardly contain myself.

I’m 24 hours into 31 hours of flights to reach an island in the Gulf of Thailand for a month long yoga course. I left Tokyo an hour ago and it appears that we’re just east of Shanghai now. The airplane has been bouncing around a lot as we cross the jet stream. This has been really annoying to me, not because of being nervous about plunging into the ocean, but because I NEED to write!

I have this article on my mind and I’m incredibly excited about typing it out. It’s driving me nuts that there’s so much turbulence that I can’t type. I keep trying to peck out words with one hand as the other holds my laptop to the table, but my screen is blurry because the airplane keeps violently shifting up and down and left and right. Argh – this sucks!

A brief pause in the bouncing: now, as my fingers quickly tap the keys, I feel a little better. I’m so happy I have this chance to write. Please, no more bouncing around, at least not until I finish what it is that I want to share!

More bouncing … so frustrating. I NEED to type! STOP bouncing around, airplane!

Is this crazy? No, it’s not. This is passion. It burns bright and intense. It controls and leads the way. It drives us crazy at times. It’s awesome. I’m so happy to have it.

How do you get motivated?

A friend and fellow coach once asked me how I get motivated to bring so much energy into coaching a workout. I had a hard time answering that–because it just happens, even when I’m tired, it’s there. Some days I can be exhausted, sleep deprived and a little stressed out, yet the moment I start a class and say “Hi everyone, I’m happy to see you here,” I’m fired up and as excited as a kid going to Disney World for the first time. Coaching is awesome! I can think of no better place to be than in a room full of motivated athletes. The energy rocks!

Same thing with writing — once I get started, I can’t stop. I’ll stay up all night. I’ll skip meals. I’ll block everything else out and not move from my desk for 6 hours. I’ll find myself trying to write 3 stories at once and frustrated because I can’t spend enough time on each one.

Right now actually, as I sit on this bouncing airplane, I have 4 document windows open, each with a separate story and each story jealous of the attention the other one is receiving. I want to write all of them at once … and design some new workouts … and read updates from the athletes I coach. Each one is as important as the other and it drives me crazy that I can’t do them all at once.

This is passion.

driven by passion & soaring across a dream finish line

Whether it’s coaching or writing, I don’t just like the pursuit. I don’t just love it. I’m passionate about it.

Passion is what makes it possible to achieve what seems impossible. It is what enables you to make a big difference in your own life and the lives of others. Passion removes hurdles. It provides clarity. Passion answers questions, provides inspiration and knocks down brick walls.

Are you thinking about changing careers or starting your own business, but not sure what or how? The answer lies not in what you like to do or love to do, but in what you are passionate about doing. Passion is your secret ingredient. Passion answers the question of how to make an escape financially viable. Passion offers you a glimpse of what you may be able to offer to others to help them along their path and thus help yourself. Passion may also give you insight into the answer to the question “what would I do if I only had 6 months to live?”

What is it that you couldn’t stand being restricted from doing?

This is passion.

Please do the following. Make a list with 3 items: what you like, love and are passionate about. Really think about what goes into each category. It’s a hierarchy. Like is easy to identify. For example, I like visiting new countries. Love is special. E.g. I love being with a group of my closest friends in the mountains. And then there’s passion, which is a coveted list.

Next, read more on the subject of finding and acting on your passions. Here’s my reading list on this topic:

• The Element
• 47 Hearts
• Desire to Inspire
• Midlife Re-Creation
• Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Happiness

If you are ready to take action, whether that’s toward a new career or a new position within your company, I sincerely encourage you to find your passion, not just your likes or loves. Find whatever it is that fires you up with an unquestionable intensity. Then, run with it, embrace any support you’re given, and make your dreams a reality.

–Jeff