Find your passion

Find your passion

There are arguably different meanings of ‘passion’ however the one I am interested in is this one; Passion is derived from the Latin word ‘patere’ meaning suffer.
This is like suffering for what we believe in, our dreams, our goals, our countrymen, for what we love.

It is not surprising how important passion is in whatever important and difficult task we are doing. This is largely because it brings about persistence, and persistence most of the time is the only thing we need on the verge of our breakthroughs. We tend to achieve world changing goals when we chase those goals with passion. Below are few examples I want to cite to elaborate this;

– Jesus Christ ‘suffered’ to and on the cross because He loves us. He didn’t have to do it, but He did it anyway. He gave up His life (they didn’t take it without His consent) as a ransom for ours. Passion kept Him there on the cross. He could have just said a word and all His captors would have been overwhelmed and he could have been freed from their grasp. His passion for His purpose was so undeniable and irreversible for Him He had to endure everything he went through.

– Thomas Edison endured multiple failures, even ridicule, without giving up because he was sold out to his goals, dreams and desire to ‘light the world’. He did achieve his goal and is celebrated today because he had passion and persistence. When you switch on the light each evening, think about his persistence, his ability to fail forward, his passion, his resolve. Without passion we would not, like him, fail so many times and still try again until we succeed.
– Tata Nelson Mandela was passionate about public service and eradicating ‘constitutionalized bias’ hence had to endure and opted to remain in a small prison cell for decades instead of giving up on his goal. He was given an opportunity to be released on condition that he denounce activism and stop his fight against the apartheid. Guess what he chose to do! His passion and desire for what is right just kept him going for 27 years.

– Steve Jobs was fired from his company by the person he employed.  It was a public embarrassment for him. However, this didn’t diminish his love and passion for what he is doing. He somehow found a way back at the helm of the company. His passion for his company couldn’t let him give up no matter the embarrassment. He led the company until his final days. He loved what he was doing.

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Here are the few things worth noting about passion:

1. Passion is the only thing that would keep us going forward when the going gets tough, when there are sufficient reasons why we should give up.

2. Passion is what separates winners from quitters. When a level of passion is more than the feeling of discomfort (or level of pain) or it is more powerful that valid reasons to quit then you are a winner. If the feeling of discomfort is too much to bear then you are not passionate enough!

3. Passion is the main ingredient of persistence. It causes us to finish what we started no matter what.

4. Passion is common in each of those always willing to take an extra mile.

5. Passion is the force behind the inspiration and it is more powerful than an incentive.

So, what are you willing to suffer for? What price are you willing to pay in exchange for the life you desire, for living your dreams, for realising your goals, for advancing the kingdom of God?