"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Has anyone ever asked you what your passion was? And if so, did you have an answer, a real answer?
I think all of us have a "passion" for something but sadly I don't think everyone discovers what their passion is in life. It's easy to see how that can happen, too. Life is busy. Work, Family, Gym, Friends, Social Commitments, Social Activities, Errands, Facebook...the list goes on and on. We have so many things competing for our time and energy.
I like to think of our energy supply as an organic mass. This mass has a known quantity. Which means someday our energy will run out when we leave the earth. All of us will die one day and with that our mass of energy will have run out. If someone gave you a calendar for all of the days you have left in this world, say a calendar that had the next 40 years lined out for you, would you change the course of your activity on a daily basis? Would you fret over the small stuff, like a clean house? Essentially that is what our life is only no one has given us the calendar. When you think of it that way, why would you ever waste one month, one week or one year not doing what truly makes us happy? This isn't to say we can't be sad or angry or jealous, those emotions are essential to life, too. But it is to say, why do we waste so much time on the fluff?
When someone gives a eulogy at a funeral they are usually one of the people closest to the deceased. That person has the honor and the duty of being the last individual to ever speak on this person's behalf. Have you ever thought about who would give your own eulogy? Or one step further, what would that person say about you? We take time to fill out on-line dating applications that make us answer questions like, what three words would your friends use to describe you? But have we ever sat back and looked at their answers in order to understand how we are perceived from the outside? We hope that they use good words. We hope that the person giving our eulogy says nice, honest and truthful things. (I can't say I've ever been to a funeral where they didn't say nice things.) You hope that those closest to you, who really know you, know what you're passionate about.
So why do we waste so much time on the fluff if we know our calendar has a limited number of days? Why do we get worked up over details that will have no consequence in the future or on someone's view of us? No one started a eulogy with, "Wanda was a really nice person. She had a really clean house, drove a really nice car and her bathroom had a huge marble tub. And her china, well it was just beautiful and her silver was always polished perfectly. Oh, and in the summer we all go out on her boat, she has a great party boat!"
Why don't you hear these things in a eulogy? Because they don't matter; they're fluff. None of the stuff we surround ourself with can go with us nor does it define us. And if you're friends ever use those phrases to describe you, then you should really evaluate the relationship because they don't know you, just your stuff. What does matter is how you treat people and how you treat yourself. People may forget your words but they never forget your actions. Did you help your friends out when they needed it? Did you support family who were going through tough times? Did you take care of your family? Did you give yourself solely for the benefit of another without any alterior motive? Did you take care of yourself? Were you a happy person?
Did you find your passion?
Life gets swept up by the constant "to do" list. Finding your passion should never be on that list.
I hope that if there is one trait people will remember me by it is that I'm genuine. Sincerity is one of the most important qualities in a person. Always knowing what is real in life, what is important and what really matters, can never be underestimated.
Work Hard/Play Harder/Laugh the Hardest and live with Passion!
If you have ever felt such tremendous enthusiasm and desire for something that you would gladly spend all your waking hours working on it, that you would happily do without pay, then you have found your passion.
-- Sharon Cook & Graciela Sholander
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