Figmentations

There is a lot of advice out there.  Ask different coaches for advice on how to be successful and you’ll probably get a lot of different answers, sometimes conflicting, but certainly a core set of common beliefs, too.

Clearly one common ingredient to the success equation is: “having passion”. 

A nice clarification I recently heard goes something like this:  Passion alone won’t make you successful, but without passion, success isn’t likely or sustainable either – or, more technically speaking, passion is a “necessary, but not sufficient” condition.

So, what gets me speaking about passion now?  Well, a recent post on this topic on Problogger: “How Passion Can Transform Your Blog”, along with the “Trust Agents” theme of “humanizing the Web”, has spurred me to share my passions as an experiment to see what, if anything, comes of it.

So, What Am I Passionate About?

Some passions are not so simple to rein in, but here goes….

> I’m passionate about people — though that’s not to say that there aren’t people (actually, quite a few) that don’t totally annoy me more often than not, too.

> I’m passionate about thinking, including: options, possibilities, combinations, what has been, what could have been, what can be, and what is yet to be.

> I’m passionate about how various forms of art (be it: theatre, writing, music, video, artwork, etc.) capture and convey the nuances of the human experience.

> I’m passionate about seeking solutions to conflicts while knowing the certitudes of science seem to be grossly outweighed by the complexities of things like: fluid opinions; steadfast judgments; multiple perspectives; and lifelong evolving experiences.

And, I absolutely admire the confidence of passionate people, especially those that are not afraid to express their opinions (and can artfully do so without alienating or offending those that clearly disagree).

Giving my passions a single name has been tricky, but I’ve decided to forge ahead anyway.

Are We Strange?

Yet our unique passions can seem strange to those that don’t understand them and/or don’t understand what we choose to do with them.

It’s like the Breakfast Club character that I most relate to, the uniquely strange, but still loveable, quirky and weird, Allison Reynolds (played by Ally Sheedy). 

Many people like to root for the underdog, the strangely weird, uniquely flawed, and largely misunderstood personality that doesn’t seek to be the odd man out, but is naturally just different from those of other cliques that don’t understand them.

Our passions can make us seem strange. 

But, to The Passionate, being passionate-less probably seems strange, too. 

What The “Passionate-Less” Don’t Know Yet

I’d prefer to think of the seemingly “passionate-less” folks as those that would certainly be passionate if they only knew how to reign in that which certainly resides within them if they could only recognize it for what it is.

Getting the confidence to boldly direct our passions in whatever apparently strange direction they take us might just be the key to opening the rusty lock of a hidden treasure chest that we all seem to need to seek out.  Wouldn’t we all like to discover the unique treasure map within us that leads us to a treasure-chest full of riches worthy of the journey?

Trusting that the rewards will be there, and the journey will be worthwhile, let’s embark on whatever journey lies before us.  I know I’m ready for the journey.  Who else is in?

Would love to hear where your passions are taking you.  Please share below.  Thanks!