Today my coach asked me to give input on a question on Facebook. Basically, the question was about passion as it relates to entrepreneurship and business. The person asked this question because a highly successful entrepreneur had said to her that “their business is their business and their passion is their passion… don’t mix up the two.”
If you read my last post about “performance is a function of actions only and nothing else,” then you might think that I would say that you don’t need passion to be successful in your business. You would be partially correct. Yes, to be successful at something/anything you will need to take the actions necessary to produce the results you want. What usually stops us from success are the reasons or considerations we have not to take the actions necessary to fulfill on our goals. So, passion is not necessary to perform, only taking the necessary actions matter. However, without passion for something, there is no self-expression in whatever you do.
The word “passion” originated with the suffering of Jesus Christ. It describes the intense suffering of Christ in between the last supper and his death–the willingness to suffer intensely for something worthwhile. So, passion generally speaks to intense emotions and efforts put toward an endeavor of choice.
In my other post about creating and living your vision, I spoke about creating a vision for your life or areas of your life. When you create the vision of your life and you live into that vision; in effect, you create the life you want to live. Passion, then, is the willingness to have intense emotions and effort to make that vision or life a reality. Passion is something you create and discover for yourself that has you be self-expressed about your vision/life. It is your creation that inspires and moves you to go way beyond just mere mediocrity or survival.
For me, when I first joined Aikido, I only wanted to have some exercise and learn a little bit about throwing and pinning people for my self-defense. However, as I continued to practice Aikido, I saw what was possible and created a vision for how I can live my life with the philosophical distinctions of Aikido. Inside this vision, I discovered my passion for Aikido–I was willing to put in great effort and invest intense emotions to realize my vision. I’m 50 years old now and I can do amazing things physically with Aikido that I may not have been able to perform in my twenties. But it’s not just the physical side, I am constantly growing and learning about life, my relationships (family, friends, colleagues, etc.), and myself inside of my self-expression of my vision of Aikido.
All disciplines have passionate people for their self-expression. In arts, (painting, sculpting, drawing, writing, music, etc), sports (basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer…), science, business, teaching, coaching, and many many more–passion is essential to the success and self-expression of the people within them.
Are you willing to create and discover your passion for your life or any areas of your life? What vision do you have that would inspire great effort and invest intense emotions?
Have a Great Day and May I See You On The Mat!
Thanh Huynh
Leadership, Executive and Life Coach – San Jose, CA – San Francisco Bay Area
www.aikileader.com
If you would like to chat with me about how I can help you move forward in your leadership and life, please email me at thanh@aikileader.com.