Live with Passion

“Live with passion” said Tony Robbins. Passion is a deep love for something in life. It is evident in one's  thoughts, words and actions. Passion is the internal experience and the outward expression of one's  greatest possible love and enthusiasm. Passion involves  emotions. It is the feeling concept. It is a burning desire. Passion serves to focus our spiritual gifts. Passion is an important part of an individual’s self-concept. Passion sticks to the ‘bones’. Passion fills us with focus, energy and determination. Passion is derived from the Latin verb pati meaning to suffer. Passion is a driver, a motivational force emanating from the strength of emotion.. James Kouzer and Berry Posner said, “Passion is something that starts in the gut, floods the imagination and comes to reside in the will. Passion is disciplined when it has focus, consistency, persistence, and above all, integrity.”

Definition

Passion is defined in the oxford dictionary (1989) as ‘any kind of feeling by which the mind is powerfully affected or moved.’ Vallerand and colleagues (2003) defined “passion as a strong  inclination toward an activity that is loved, considered highly important , is an important part of one’s self-concept and in which one invests significant amounts of time and energy.”

“Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.” said Denis Diderot.

Types of passions

There are two kinds of passions: harmonious passion and obsessive passion.  Harmonious passion results from an autonomous internalization of an activity within a person’s identity. A harmonius passion is defined as a state of mind characterized by intense vigour, dedication and absorption in one’s work. The activity remains under the control of the individual and is associated with self esteem. In obsessive passion, a person feels controlled by work. Obsessive passion can be correlated with negative self – esteem. Obsessive passion is related to maladaptive consequences such as impaired well-being, negative emotions and loss of control.
There are two ways in which passion is internalized: autonomous and controlled. An autonomous internalization will lead to harmonious passion and a controlled internalization will lead to obsessive passion (Vallerand and Houlfort 2003; Vallerand 2010). Autonomous internalization of an activity occurs when an individual recognizes that an activity fulfils intrinsic needs i.e. they enjoy it or they feel good when engaging in it. They feel free to do the activity without any outside pressure and thus it becomes a part of their identity and feeling of self. An obsessive passion is developed from a controlled internalization of an activity. The person engages in an activity for external reasons i.e., social acceptance or recognition.

Harmonious passion was associated with positive emotions, concentration and flow, whereas obsessive passion was associated with experiencing negative outcomes and conflict with other aspects of one’s life (Vallerand et al., 2003). Passion should not be forced through external means.

Live with passion

Your passion is your god-given capacity to attach yourself emotionally to something over an extended period of time to meet a need. You will need to follow both an objective and a subjective approach to discover your passion.   Passion is the fuel that allows us to complete the supreme journey of our life. It is the fulcrum against which the largest mountains can be moved. It is the springboard from which all of our greatest achievements are launched. Passion is the stairway leading to new possibilities and a bridge stretching to the impossible. Passion is the oxygen of your dreams and the DNA of hope. Passion is the star that guides men to greatness. Passion is the driving force that can change the ordinary and turn it into extraordinary. Passion is the focus energy which brings you to do everything in your daily lives.

                                                Enthusiasm +passion = success

Passion is dependent upon: Right focus; right state and right you.

Brooke Griffin said, “Passion is about doing what you love. Dedication is perseverance and hard work. Add them together = fuel for success.”
“Finding your passion is the key to the success” said Tracy Kauffman.