Over the last couple of months I have been thinking about passion and what it really means to me. At our college, we always acknowledge that our students are truly lucky that every day they are able to indulge in their passion for their sport. Mix that with “getting” an education and there is the perfect blend! I have been questioning if I have been living my life with authentic passion or do I let the mundanity of life get in the way of being passionate. If I am to be honest, everyday life gets in the way for me and I can lose sight of the people and experiences that I am passionate about. Am I leading by example? Am I underestimating the power of passion in loving everyday life? Do I really understand what the word means and am I being authentic to that? What am I truly passionate about?
The Oxford Dictionary defines passion as “strong and barely controllable emotion.” I think I prefer the Urban Dictionary definition of passion, “when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialised into action to put as much heart, mind, body and soul into something as is possible.”
I came across an article by New York Times journalist David Brooks who identified the traits of people who live a passionate life. Reading this, it made me really think about my life choices thus far and reflect on what ruled – my head or my heart? Brooks wrote, “People with passion have the courage to dig down and play with their issues. Passionate people discover themselves through play. They use imagination to open up possibilities and understand their emotional histories. They delight in new ways to express themselves, expand their personalities and move towards their goals. People with passion have the courage to be themselves with abandon. People with passion are less willing to be ruled by the tyranny of public opinion. They somehow get on the other side of fear and they have more freedom to navigate.”
Like her or not, Lady Gaga’s insight into living a life of passion really made me sit up and reflect, especially when it comes to guiding the little person in my life that I am responsible for leading toward a life he is passionate about. Gaga says, “I suppose I didn’t know what I would become, but I always wanted to be extremely brave and I wanted to be a constant reminder to the universe of what passion looks like. What it sounds like. What is feels like.” Wow….just wow…
So, what does passion look like, sound like and feel like to you?
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