The Passion Paradox

Passion typically masks a weakness. It’s breathless and a poor substitute for discipline, for perseverance and purpose. You need to spot passion quickly in yourself and others because while the origins of passion may be good, the effects are comical and monstrous.

Passion people can tell you in great detail who they intend to become and what their success will be like, they can tell you the things they are going to do or have begun but they cannot show you their progress. Because there rarely is any.

Dogs, God bless them are passionate. They are so busy chasing boxes, balls and blankets around. Could that be what your passion is doing to you?

How can someone be busy and not accomplish anything? Well, that’s the passion paradox!

What humans require in ascent into purpose and realism. The purpose you could say, is like passion with boundaries. Realism is detachment and perspective. When we are young (or when our cause is young), we feel so intensely passionate, like hormones running wild – it seems wrong to take it slow. This is our impatience. It’s our inability to see that we are burning ourselves out.

Passion is about … I am so passionate about ____.

Purpose is to and for … I am willing to endure ___ for the sake of this.

Purpose deemphasis the ‘I’

A purposeful person operates on a different level beyond the ups and downs. They ask questions, they look for examples, they plan, and then they are off to the races. Make small steps, look for feedback, leveraging their gains to grow exponentially rather than arithmetically. Passion is form over function. Purpose is function, function, function.

The critical work you want to do will require your deliberation and consideration. Not passion, Not Naivete.

Someone once asked me when will I do great things. When you stop being your old, good intentioned, but ineffective self.