By: Charles Joseph
Mankind is full of passion. Passion to survive. Passion to understand the unknown. Passion to know the next best thing. And most importantly, the passion to grow. Internal growth is measurable through many channels.
There is that person that you just don’t understand why they stay on you. Ten years ago, that person could send you on a mental voyage of frustration and stress. Today, with time, acceptance, and a persistent and constant choice to let that person affect you less and less, you are able to not only tolerate that person, you are now able to excel despite that person. You go home and that person isn’t on your mind. You grew into the type of person that succeeds despite their noise.
For those of you that attack the gym, there was that one exercise that eluded you for months or even years. Maybe it was the bench press. Or maybe it was to run a faster mile. It may have even been to run a mile, period. Looking back, you kept asking yourself why you even try. Maybe what kept you going was simply the goal of losing weight, being more attractive, feeling energized, or perhaps it was just the fact that you believe in living as healthily as possible.
Upon further examination, it is easy to say that you wanted to accomplish something like losing weight. But why? Because someone told you too? I think that it is more reasonable to consider that ultimately you did what you did because you told yourself to do that. You told yourself that you were going to the gym even though you were tired after work. You told yourself to push a little harder at the gym when you got there. You told yourself that you would be back the next day. But why?
Inborn in every individual is the need for growth. In life, there is either growth or there is stagnation. Yes, there are short periods of flatlands. The problem is that you are still moving forward in your life, then the terrain changes. Some people look at a mountain and think maybe they could climb it. Others look at that same mountain and immediately start thinking about the mountain they will climb after they climb the first one. In the latter’s mind, they have already climbed the first mountain and have moved onto the next one. They converted a desire into a passion with their mindset. They assumed that they would conquer the first mountain and fell in love with the idea of climbing mountains in general. They took a simple goal and turned it into a lifestyle.
You see, mankind is inborn with the ability to stay alive, strive, and thrive. Ask anyone who is a top performer if they are just alive or if they are thriving in their chosen field. They live with passion.
Passion in today’s world is quite cliché. People say they are passionate about all kinds of things. Pay close attention to what this reveals though. People, in general, need passions in their lives. And the good news is that passion is already inside of you. The less attractive news is that you don’t just let out your passion, you have to act on it. Action realizes potential. Tapping your potential is doing just a little more than you are already capable of.
Next time you put your hands or mind to work, remember that you do what you do because you told yourself to. Be passionate about it. Love your close ones, build mountains to climb and welcome the life that awaits you. To be honest, life is prettier on the other side. A thriving life full of joy, hard work and peace of mind is a passion worth endeavoring.
By: Charles Joseph
