The Myth of Passion

 The Myth of Passion

Passion has somehow become a funny thing.

At first it’s commonly defined as a love you have for something ; something you kind of do during your free time.

But today, passion goes beyond that.

With all the buzz on lifestyle design and people living the seemingly perfect life, passion has become the gateway¹ to freedom; the ability to design and create the lifestyle you wanted.

My definition of passion

Passion to me is the fire that burns inside of you. It’s a love for something so great that it makes everything in life feel right and meaningful, so much so it gives you a sense of identity.

And then, nothing else matters.

I’ve been a Bboy (breakdancer) for about 10 years now. I also love to write and am currently growing a passion for blogging, especially when it comes to its business aspects.

I’m new to blogging, just as I was once new to Bboying.

I’m a normal guy, but I can confidently say I’ve done loads with my life thanks to passion.

And I think people today have a great misconception of what passion is.

3 stark² myths of passion

You have to be extremely good at it.

How often is it today that you hear of this or that inspiring guy who created a business out of passion or does what he loves everyday?

It’s easy to think that that person is really good at what he does.

The absolute best right?

Not really.

Passion isn’t a competition where you got to indulge in it, keep getting better and then show off to people how great you are.

I’ve been a Bboy for so long, but you know what? I’m not the best. I don’t win competitions all the time and neither can you find awesome³ videos of me on YouTube.

But I still love it. It gives me identity in this complex world. I practise often and just enjoy it for myself.

Passion is a feeling. Like love, when it comes to you, you enjoy it and let it flow. It is this feeling that is all you need.

It has to be acceptable in the eyes of others

Some people think that passion needs to be acceptable, that it must meet the expectations of others or you may come across as crazy. It also has to be acceptable for the possible future of making it a living out of it.

Again, no.

Passion can be anything you want. As long as you attain⁴ that special feeling which makes everything alright in life, it’s absolutely okay. Nothing else matters then.

This is the starting point of where ever you want to take this passion, be it creating a business or designing your lifestyle.

So where’d you take it?

It will make you money

As inspiring as it is to hear of people making a full-time⁵ income from what they love, the truth is, it’s not guaranteed that passion can make money for you.

Do you think people would want to pay you if your passion is say, sitting in front of the TV eating chips?

Doubtful.

There is a veritable gap which your passion needs to cross to enter the world where rules of life and society apply.

And this gap requires a lot of effort and creative thinking to cross, if you want it to at all.

The fact of passion

Passion is simply you.

It’s your choice to start finding one and holding on to it.

It can and will give you that special feeling and elevate you to greatness. With a little effort, you can easily find one.

And it’s something you’ll never forget in life.

1 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

2 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

3 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

4 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

5 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。