If you ask one hundred people to define the word "passion", you will get one hundred different answers. Why? We all perceive and experience passion differently. Passion, like love is intangible. Passion is a feeling. Isn't it more than that? Passion is an indescribable urge, an unseen force that drives us to:
create and bring forward to the collective;
be the best and strive for excellent performance;
evoke, emote or express;
experience both the inner journey and the outer one;
take the next step and go that extra mile;
Passion makes us bold, adventurous, committed, focused and present. Passion fills our heart with joy and has the ability to make us smile both outwardly and inwardly. Passion gives us a sense of purpose and it can complete us.
Passions vary, even among people who engage in the same pursuit. A professional chef might say that cooking is his or her passion and yet another chef might say the passion is food. An artist might say that combining color, form, shape, texture and capturing its essence on the canvas is his or her passion and yet another artist might say the passion is in viewing the completed piece of art. A writer might say that words are his or her passion and yet another writer might say it is all about storytelling. A musician might say that notes are his passion and yet another musician might say it is all about the beautifully composed haunting melody.
We have all said (or heard someone say) "_________ is my passion." This expression is true in that moment, but what happens to our passions over time? Do our passions change? Yes and no. We are the ones that change. We are constantly changing, evolving and shifting. Like the shift from summer to fall or winter to spring, our feelings about our passions change. For example: a passion we had for pottery may seem less important as we enter a new phase in life. In this type of situation, we may find ourselves spending less time at the potter's wheel and more time hiking outdoors. Putting on the brakes, shifting focus or engaging in a time-out from a passion allows space for the soul to grow. Once we have reached that next level in our evolution, we return to our passion. Upon returning, some people find that the feelings they had for their passion have changed. Maybe they are not so passionate about their previous passion. Why? During the break, they may have found a new passion. This new passion might be the new road they are meant to walk and embrace. I believe passion is an omnipotent force that subtly nudges us in the direction that allows us to grow and change. At the end of the day, it is not as much as where we take our passion, but where our passion takes us.