The yin and yang of Passion

Any goals you’re pursuing that are not driven by passion, I’d argue are not worth pursuing at all. Since passion has many meanings, let’s start with this one from the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Passion(emotion): intense, driving or overmastering feeling or conviction

In my own words, passion is that inner drive to be part of something or accomplish something bigger than yourself.

The fun side of passion

When I re-read “How a hobby makes you a better businessperson,” I was surprised to see how many times the word passion showed up in that blog post. Although in hindsight and with the benefit of four months having passed, I shouldn’t be surprised at all. I’ve participated in numerous driving and social events with my fellow Audi Club North America Wisconsin members and look forward to the events with the same enthusiasm as a major business meeting.

My wife has even commented that she has no idea how a bunch of guys can get together and talk about tires and break pads and consider that fun. But I’ve found something that holds my interest because I’m passionate about getting the ultimate driving experience out of my vehicle. That means when I spend time with folks who have the same goal, I’m fully engaged and living. And it seems the other club members have picked up on that passion because they recently tapped me to fill the vacated roll of club Vice President after only being a member for four months.

Follow your passion and you’ll find yourself having fun and enjoying life like never before.

The serious side of passion

Like most things in life passion has a yin and yang associated with it. A singular passion, like one for work, can turn you into a one-dimensional person. Singularity of purpose and intense focus for short periods of time can be very constructive. The tricky part is to break out of that cycle and find competing passions to remain or become a balanced human being.

For the better part of three years, I worked between 60 and 80 hours a week, taking few breaks for vacations. That cycle was too long and pretty much came to a halt in August when I found a balancing passion to my work. Finding that balancing passion (cars and auto racing) has cut my work weeks to something more like 30 to 50 hours. That’s right. Some weeks I really do work part-time and it’s fun to have and enjoy that flexibility.

The funny thing is that my businesses have been more successful since I started working a little less. The best analogy I can come up with for this is resting muscles if you are into exercise. Working out seven days a week endlessly is not good for your body. Your body needs rest – and so does your mind. Getting away from work and pursuing other passions allows your subconscious to work on issues that may have you stuck in your business life.

Pursue multiple passions that balance each other and you’ll find greater balance in your life.

What passions lie behind your goals? Take a few moments and leave a comment. I’d love to know what drives you too.