Some of you out there are trying to find your passions, the solutions to what you need to get on top of your game.
One of my great passions in life is given to me by my blog. I take my time to write articles on topics that matter to me for people who matter to me, connecting with people all over the world. I write about subjects that I have a true passion for.
One of those people I have connected with is Baldychaz who writes, when he can, his blog called Rantings of A Bald Man. Yesterday I read his blog article Obsession or Passion? where he says “Perhaps I need the guidance of Larry Lewis to guide and explain, to nudge and nurture the bald one into how an obsession becomes a passion?”
So Charles it would be rude for me not to respond. Let me start by defining what I believe passion to mean. Passion is the underlying power beneath everything we do. In fact without it, we cannot find true success.
“Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.” Denis Diderot
Passion is one of the most important keys to success in any area of life. When your life is filled with passion you wake up excited about your day. You make the right decisions, you get more done in less time, and things flow for you. No success can happen without a person’s passion behind it.
Passion is a love of something. It is a strong feeling of desire to achieve something. It can be a strong liking for an activity. Passion can be like a rocket fuel for us humans. Your passion isn’t a desire for an object. It is based around an internal goal, something that you genuinely feel strongly about. Your passion will drive you forward, providing you with the determination and the persistence to carry on, until you find a way to succeed. Passionate people are driven to create as a way to grow and achieve their potential. They have a strong sense of self.
One warning when it comes to your passion is to avoid the situation where the effort and work you put in becomes the goal instead of the outcome. I think many ‘bloggers’ out there will understand this. With all the things we have to do, do we always keep our outcome at the front of our minds, or are we carried away with just doing the things we believe we need to do?
At its best passion gives you great joy and productivity. It reinforces our personal growth, and enables us to thrive.
Now lets bring our attention to a unhealthy obsession. What makes the distinction between the two confusing is that passion and obsession exhibit very similar behaviours. Obsession is a compulsive fixation with a fixed idea.
Passion is a positive obsession. Obsession is a negative passion.” Paul Carvel
Obsession is defined by the Oxford dictionary, as, “preoccupy or fill the mind of someone/ something continually and to a troubling extent.” When passion becomes out of control, it becomes obsession. It takes over your. It steals everything else away from you, it gives you no fulfillment, no purpose, no pleasure.
Being obsessed with something means, by definition, that you’re focusing on it to the determinent of everything else. When you’re obsessed with your work, you might not sleep enough, eat healthily, take enough exercise, spend time with your loved ones or anything else that should be important to you. Whatever it is you become obsessed by, it will be to the cost of other things in your life.
Lives fall apart as obsession grips your every waking hour, crowding everything else out. An obsession leads you to over-engage in certain things to the detriment of everything else. You can end up making huge sacrifices for your obsessions, such as your friends, Family, Relationships, Work, even failing to take care of your own self and well-being.
But when I contemplate the words of a poker playing, Pepsi guzzling blogger I actually ask myself, has he found his passion. I may be 49 years old, and for more years than I care to count up I have had a passion for personal development. But in the last 14 months I have found a revitalising zest created for me through this world of blogging. It has given me a new outlet, a calling. Each morning I excitedly check my Alexa rating, and then start tapping away at the keyboard until a new article has been created. I love it. Without this new line to my passion I think I would have a big hole. So anyone that looks at their life and feels there is something missing, needs to tap into the things they are passionate about.
Following your passions can be frightening and many people may question your sanity. I on the other hand believe that you owe it to yourself to take the necessary risks for a more fulfilling life. Once you find your passion avoid at all costs telling yourself that you can’t do it. I believe that you must go with your gut feeling and press forward to your dream. This way you will find a light at the end of the tunnel.
If you could do one thing to change your life, I highly recommend you find something that you’re passionate about. If you hate going to your work, or find yourself constantly lacking motivation, worse still you find life boring and monotonous, you need to start looking for how to realise your full potential in life.
If you dare to dream, dare to imagine the potential, and dare to actually look for what you love, life becomes so much more exciting and fulfilling.
A really good article for you to read is on The Stepcase Lifehack blog, its written by the brilliant Leo Babauta and titled How to Find Your Passions. A previous article of mine titled Do what You Love – Work your passions is worth a revisit. as is Without Passion you are just an Underdeveloped Force with Latent Possibilities.
Passion gives you the power to imagine, to plan, to work, and to bring your goals to a successful conclusion. Stay on the healthy side of passion instead of obsession, and enjoy the success it brings. Love your passions and live your life. Don’t let your passions turn into obsessions.
Now share with me your passions, or let us know if you’ve ever become obsessed with something. Comment away.
“If a warrior is to succeed at anything, the success must come gently, with a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession.” Carlos Castaneda
Score Your Way To Good Health - With Our Healthy Lifestyle Plan
Score your way to good health with our healthy lifestyle plan and it's unique 70 point weekly scorecard!
It’s one thing to find your passion it’s another to be able to keep it from becoming an obsession. It’s that feel good factor you get, the addiction behind it, the wanting more.
I remember seeing a slightly obsessive side to you, coming along the whole alexa path at one time, even the mighty Larry is prone to it 🙂 As with all things I feel it should be about moderation and balance. If you let the balance fall off kilter you can sway between losing your passion and becoming obsessed with it. Great post – enjoyed the read
SJ – MOI? Hands up. Your passions can so easily fall over into obsession. You do have to keep a watchful eye to make sure you notice so that you can dampen it down. For a while Alexa did rather become an obsession. In truth i couldn’t believe my little blog was climbing and climbing. It excited me, and yes i couldn’t resist checking it on awakening. Its the same with blogging. We all have to make sure it doesn’t take us over that our life, family, job become negatively effected by the time we spend blogging. You are so right in the importance of finding moderation and balance in those things we have passion for. Thank you as ever for your brilliant advise, even if you have grassed me up. Have to forgive me because you were my 1st leading light in this blogging world. So i can blame you.
Wise words as ever oh Larry, Guru, Master. I think that in my case i become obsessional and that either leads to nothing or the more healthier passion such as my blog 😉 thank you for your help as ever.
Charles – well i pray your blog remains one of your passions for ever. I truly enjoy reading it, enjoy your writings, and love your style. You make me sound like a martial arts teacher … guru … master …sensei
I do tend to become obsessed with what I do..and that is making me loose passion for what ever things I liked earlier in life..as I try to tell myself..You must experience and accept the extremes. Because if the contrast is lost, you lose appreciation; and when you lose appreciation, you lose the value of everything.
Alpana – Life is like a multifaceted prism, which gives different colored images, when viewed from different angles. M. K. Soni. Make sure you give yourselves many angles, so that your passions come from many different places. Don’t become obsessive in just one.
I loved the way you differentiated between passion and obsession. A passion can become an obsession sometimes and we have to be very conscious that it doesn’t. Writing is a new found passion in me but at times indulging in this virtual space can tend to become obsessive. I am sure it is for all of us. The moment I realize I am getting to be a bit obsessive about being online, I give myself a break and I think my son is a very good alarm bell for that. The moment he tells me “Ma you are getting obsessed, I switch off”. Great post Larry.
http://rimlybezbaruah.blogspot.com/2011/07/questions.html?spref=gr#close=1
Rimly – thank god you have found this new passion … the world is a better place with the beauty you bring to it through words. Your talents are remarkable, that is not a false complement, but my true feelings. But you are also so right in all bloggers have to be careful not to alow our blogs and everything that goes with it to become an obsession.
A very insightful and thought provoking blog that brings understanding of how to recognize our true passions in life. I really enjoy reading your posts.
Jeannie – Thank you so much for your kind words. My aim every time i blog is to give my readers food for thought, hoping to bring them inspiration and motivation to enable them to move their life forward. I hope you continue reading my posts, and would love to read your comments.