When you think of passion, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
It may be career-related. It may evoke images of long nights hovering over your computer meeting your deadlines, whether external or self-made, at the expense of your sleep. Your eyes blur despite the glasses that have been perched on your nose for hours. Forgotten tea and coffee rim stains are your only companions. It doesn’t matter that your back aches from sitting too long because what you’re doing is important, and this drives you like nitrous oxide in your veins. It has to be perfect. You care about it so much that you can’t extract it from your identity even if you tried. Your very self is splattered all over the work. This is your passion.
Or maybe it’s a little less “American Dream”-esque. Maybe it’s a cause. A fight you find necessary to see to the end or as far as you can carry it before passing it on. One that advances the world through initial changes made around you: raising money for an overseas war, pushing for sustainable products at a nearby cafe, or initiating a protest on Sproul. Although this effort stems from personal beliefs, the results are outwardly projected, making it an inherently selfless act. This cause may not directly impact your life or will only truly damage future generations, but knowing that you are acting as a positive force in a world that’s just a revolving door of issues is important for your soul. You’re passionate about your influence in the matter.
Most likely, thoughts of love surface. Passion is a buzzword for the tagline of your favorite romantic shows and movies, the term resurfacing with every scroll through Netflix — steamy showers and getting pushed up against walls — you know, the works. Affairs, scandal, danger, erotica, and sexy are words that revolve around this concept; it serves as their heartbeat. It’s painted as an ultimate achievement. I can’t help but think it’s a byproduct of simply romanticization. A dream. It would be nice if it happened, but it most likely won’t. It keeps us chasing, and keeps us dissatisfied. It makes us look at our current relationships and compare them to the rose-tinted versions on film.
This isn’t to say passion is not real. There is a fire inside of you about something, whether you’ve found it yet or not. It could be about the work that you do. It could be about the cause you’re fighting for. It could be about how you feel toward another person. Whatever it may be, check with yourself that it comes from an authentic place, rather than playing a script you feel like you need to star in. Passion is an incredibly enlivening emotion; faking it to attempt it into existence is a waste of your time. Let it come to you and search for it at the same time, like waiting for a train. Hop on and follow it all the way down the line.
