Be Passionate!
Being passionate is the single greatest quality you can bring to any situation whether it be in work, love, friendships, or just life in general. Passion, by its nature, is an exciting and happy trait that motivates others and encourages positive actions with its energy and joy. Being passionate about something is highly respected by our peers and it is actually one of the most commonly desired things in society. Most people want to be passionate but don't know where to start. I'd say to start here is a very good first step!
Passion in Work
Having passion for your work is what most people identify passion with. Often people will comment positively when they interact with someone who is obviously doing something they love. Why? Because they exude an energy which naturally excites us and motivates us. And makes us jealous.
Ok well not exactly jealous, but most people in the world are not doing work they are passionate about, and when they see someone who is they cannot help feel encouraged but also a little envious. This is why success stories of people starting their own businesses are loved by many.
The good part is that finding what work excites you is relatively easy, if you are willing to do a little soul-searching. Executing the change, however, is much harder. You probably have to take a pay cut or expose yourself to financial risk to do it, and if you have been socially conditioned to love your money and possessions this will be hard. But then you need to ask yourself if working in a job you do not love for 40 years to have cool "things" is worth the unhappiness. I say no.
Passion in Love
This should not even need to be mentioned, but sadly this probably one the areas where our passion is most under-developed. When in a relationship we share our lives, including many private and intimate moments. Sexual passion comes easy to some people but sex is only one part of the relationship. Passion is needed elsewhere.
Relationships are complex things, combining physical, emotional, psychological, and social aspects. And all of these aspects need passion. Are you passionate about your partner that you go out your way to make them happy? Are you passionate about helping your partner through difficult times? Are you passionate about doing fun things together? You should be!
Passion in Friendships
Friendships need passion to grow. Without passion your friends will always just be nice associates instead of great mates. Passion in friendships is not the same as in love but it is equally important in establishing strong social relationships. The passion in friendships comes from two things - sharing passionate interests and being passionately supportive.
Sharing passionate interests is obvious. If you and a friend both love something similar than the job is easy. But you both have to love it! If one party is so-so then that does not count as shared passion. The good thing about shared passions is they encourage you, motivate you, and provide you an outlet for when your creative juices are flowing.
Being passionately supportive is the area where most people fail to grow their friendships. Why? Because being supportive implies focusing on someone else for a time and some people don't like this. I'm not saying you need to forget your needs and devote yourself entirely to others, but if your friend needs support you can choose to be there and help them. And if you do it passionately they will not forget it.
Are You Being Passionate?
Take some time to sit back and observe your life and see if you are being passionate. Imagine you are watching a movie of the past month of your life and ask yourself these questions:
- Do I love my work? Am I excited by the prospect of work every time I wake up?
- Do I provide physical, emotional, psychological, and social passion in my relationships?
- Do I have friends who share my passions? Do I passionately support my friends?
No? Perhaps it's time to make some changes in your life.