The Power Of Passion

There's an astonishing power that humans naturally posses. This power allows us to be more than mere humans - this power allows us to transcend limits and restrictions. What is this power? Simple: Passion.

I was a student in Junior Achievement's High School Company Program (the extracurricular schedule) - a program which puts together students from Grades 10 to 12 and teaches them to start and run a real company. I was involved for 4 "terms" over the course of three years and have learned quite a large deal from it. My first job was decided on things I had learned in Junior Achievement (I used the words "negotiate a sale").

Throughout my JA career, I had the honor of being elected to the Executive Board (students within the company with a leadership role) each term. Unfortunately, that meant dealing with the occasional horrid product. I learned from my second year that if you are going to start a business, you'd better choose a product to sell that you are interested in. If you're not behind it, your customers will know.

You can apply the same theory to everyday life. A subject you're more passionate about will be more fun to study than a subject you don't find interesting. A cause you're passionate about will spur you on to support it in every way you can. An interest or hobby can transform into a part-time business.

If you're interested in art - if you draw, paint, do a bit of printmaking - there are sites where you can sell your art for a profit. If you love the outdoors, you can start a business mowing lawns (don't knock it - some inspiring multi-millionaires started off with mowers and paper routes) or tending gardens. If you're an animal lover, a pet-sitting business could do so much more than child-sitting! If you know your way around computers, seniors homes sometimes hire companies to teach their residents how to use the Internet (seniors can be surprisingly springy-er than you thought).

Bottom line, if you're passionate about something, anything, really, you can make a business out of it. You can make a career out of it. You can make a life around it and you'll be practically guaranteed success. Here's a perfect example.

Erin McKean - lexicographer. She is passionate, nay, even passionately mad about the English language and, more specifically, the words found in the English language. Watch this clip and see just how much someone's passion can do. Not only does it convey their own interest, it also conveys their strong passion and sways whomever they're talking to into becoming passionate about it as well.

Erin McKean: Redefining The Dictionary

TED: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Ideas Worth Spreading.

I hope the key thing came through. The key, for those who might have missed it, is this:

No matter what you're passionate about - become fully passionate about it and you will find success.

McKean is clearly passionate about words and the English language, and because of that, she is one of the youngest editors of one of the "Big Five" American dictionaries - maybe you've heard of it: Oxford English Dictionary ring a bell? She's found extraordinary success and has written multiple books simply about words. 

This is what passion can do. So, get passionate about something. Being interested in something is a huge step towards finding success and personal fulfilment.

Passion - The Lifeblood of Life.

Namaste,

Clarise