The “Best-Of” Passion

pas·sion

Noun

1. Obtaining a strong liking for or devotion to something.

This characteristic is one we must acquire in life in order to determine what it is that excites us. Why walk through life engaging in activities that we don’t enjoy? Although in most cases passion is a very desirable characteristic, passion can also lead to negative circumstances. Witnessing these sometimes negative experiences, we ask the question “Is there such a thing as too much passion?”

Over the next few weeks, we will be reflecting on the Spirit of Competition program, whose core themes are failure, civility, rivalry, passion and innovation. This week we will be focusing on failure, which we highlighted on our blog last summer. Check out five of our favorite posts about the different roles of passion in life.

1. Ten Habits of Passionate People

Mohamed Tohami, a bestselling author, believes that there are 10 habits that all passionate people have in common. If you’re still looking for your passion, start with these ten habits. Find your passion, make it a habit and live a more passion filled life.

2. Olympic gold medalist, Gabby Douglas, pursues her passion through sacrifice

Gabby is the girl with the golden smile, but in order to even make herself an Olympic contender, she had to move cross country, swap families, and change coaches. Sometimes it takes sacrifice in order to successfully pursue your passion.

3. A measure of success: doing your best

Bob Kennedy, a two-time Olympian, connects his success to his strong passion. “Passion is what drove me to push through all of those losses to get to the victories, and it’s what keeps me pushing forward through the daily successes and failures of running a business.”

4. Elie Wiesel exemplifies passion in Night

Passion is expressed through characters in a number of books, especially in Elie Wiesel in Night. Eli illustrates his passion and courage through his survival during the brutal conditions of the camp. Without a desire to survive, Elie may have let his life, along with his father’s life, slip from his hands.

5. New Castle Little League Baseball Team helps those less fortunate follow their passion

After realizing that a Ugandan team didn’t have shoes, hats, cleats or socks, the players on the team took the initiative to collect these items in order to allow others to fulfill their passion.

What we learned: Make it your goal in life to discover your true passions. These aspects of your life make you a unique individual. Remember to love what excites you, but don’t become so passionate that it affects others around you negatively. Don’t forget to visit us next week as we explore the best-of civility!

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

― Oprah Winfrey