Photo by Mark Klotz

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” – Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch

What makes successful people, well, successful? What makes them realize things almost effortlessly? Where do they get their energy from? What makes them stay up late at night and wake up early the next day feeling invigorated? It’s not something you buy from a store. What makes successful people do what they do is called passion. However, it’s not just some regular passion that they possess. The kind of passion they possess is burning and consuming.

What is passion? How important is it in our pursuit for excellence and success? First of all, passion is a powerful emotion. It can be an emotion of love, happiness or even hatred and rage. Whatever emotion fuels our passion, the bottom line is that passion is what fuels our actions toward achieving an end. A sprinter’s passion for greatness and glory is what keeps him focused on the finish line. A painter’s passion for expressing his feelings through his masterpieces is what makes a Van Gogh or a Picasso. It is also passion that keeps the blogger glued to his chair scouring the virtual world for something to blog about. Without passion there is no way we could achieve success. It’s like sitting in the driver’s seat with a clear vision of where you are going but with the gas tank empty.

Passion is simply what makes you happy. You can find your passion by asking yourself “What do I enjoy doing most?” or “What makes me feel energetic?” or “What are the things that I’m good at and love doing?” An awareness of what you are passionate about is just rediscovering consciously what you enjoy doing. But can one simply develop a passion?

Suppose you have a clear goal in mind. Suppose you want a promotion in a year. We all know that this is simply not enough. The most important thing to ask is “Are you really passionate about being promoted?” Dig deeper inside you. Does the thought of being promoted make you happy? If your passion for the thought isn’t burning enough, chances are it’ll be doused soon before you know it and you’re cooped up in the same office table for the next couple of years.

Passion can be intensified. How? Let’s go back to our promotion story. So you have a clear goal; to be promoted in a year. Have that goal written and go over it in your head again and again until it becomes an obsession. Create a scene in your head of how things will look like when you’re finally promoted. See yourself enjoying the moment. Envision yourself sitting in that new office with your name on the door. Feel the table, feel the chair, smell the scent of that new office. Make this thought your passion by envisioning it whenever you can everyday. But don’t make it a chore. You need to be doing this because it makes you happy. Not because you need to. Concurrent with visualizing your goal is to map out specific plans to get to your goal and then act!

For more on making your passion burning you may want to go back to my posts here, here and here.