Is passion a lie? We've all heard quotes like “Do what you love and you'll never work another day in your life.”
Yes, passion exists. Some people genuinely love what they do. There are those who still love their spouses after decades of marriage.
But we've been told a lie about what passion looks like.
Not Every Moment Will Be Filled With Passion
I enjoy my work, but as I sat down after getting dressed this morning, my dog Marbles plopped down next to me with a huge sigh. It was like he was saying, “I feel you.”
If you know anything about Australian Shepherds, you know that they are one of the most energetic and passionate dogs in the world. But like Marbles, at that moment, all I wanted to do was to go back to bed. Instead, I grabbed my laptop and headed out the door.
Passion does not mean you'll love every moment of every day even if you enjoy what you do.
You Should Love What You Do
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, had this to say about loving what you do.
“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” -Steve Jobs.
Ryan Biddulph from Blogging from Paradise spoke about the importance of loving what you do in the post “What Commitment Looks Like.”
“Naturally, most human beings quit on their commitment the split-second something feels a little uncomfortable or scary.
But how can you succeed in any endeavor if you quit at the slightest form of resistance? Success finds committed people who go ALL IN for years, practicing for thousands of hours, honing and owning skills, and facing deep fears to purge these energies, accelerating their growth.
This is why you absolutely need to love what you do. Otherwise….you quit, and no longer commit.”
To Be Successful, You Can't Quit Whenever It Gets Uncomfortable
Ryan obviously loves what he does, but note what he says about success in conjunction with doing what you love.
“Most human beings quit on their commitment the split-second something feels a little uncomfortable or scary.” and “Success finds committed people who go ALL IN for years, practicing for thousands of hours, honing and owning skills, and facing deep fears to purge these energies, accelerating their growth.”
When we enjoy what we do, it makes it easier to do it long enough to enjoy the fruits of our labor. But that doesn't mean we'll always hop out of bed raring to go!
You Must Be There When Success Comes Knocking
For success to find you, you've got to stick with something long enough to be there when it comes knocking at your door. That doesn't happen if you move on to something new every time you get a little bored.
So Is Passion A Lie?
Passion isn't a lie. There are people who genuinely enjoy what they do.
Passion isn't a lie, but it doesn't look like what we've all been told it looks like.
In the book “Push Your Way to Purpose,” which was one of our book of the month selections, Adrienne Ross talks about the need to push through the tough times to give birth to your passion.
Sometimes passion looks like flopping on the ground exhausted from running all day as my dog does. We all get tired, and we all get bored.
To Revive Your Passion, Make a Change
Sometimes all we need to do is change the game a little. Even Marbles gets tired of chasing his ball after a certain point and wants to play a different game.
He'll start coming up to us, dropping the ball a few feet away like he's giving it to us while guarding it. Then when go to pick the ball up, he'll take off. I've watched him get kids chasing him all over the park that way, it's great fun…for him.
If you get tired of what you're doing, change it up a little! But don't quit just because you didn't want to get out of bed and work today.
What Steve Jobs Meant
Think back to what Steve Jobs said about passion and doing what you love.
“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.“ -Steve Jobs.
Jobs didn't say he quit every time he didn't like what he was doing today. He said that if that happened too many times in a row, he knew something needed to change.
The Real Lie We've Been Told About Passion
Simply because you don't enjoy every minute of every day doesn't mean you haven't found your passion. Too many bad days in a row might just mean you need to change a few things.
It's worth some reflection to find your purpose in this life, but don't beat yourself up if you don't want to get out of bed every single morning or do certain things that are required to succeed.
That's the real lie we've all been told about passion, that it's constant and every moment will be easy and filled with joy. Life doesn't work that way, but passion does make your life better.
