When you are passionate about something, it becomes a feeling you have before, during and after doing something. Simply put, it’s love! It’s love for what you do that makes you want to always put in that little extra. Passion is infectious. When you are deeply passionate about something, it shows! People you work with feel the energy, the love, the commitment.
What passion means to me
Throughout my time working, I have been told I was always passionate about what I did. Passion to me equated to caring. When someone approached me with a problem, I cared about the people impacted and the difference the result would make. When I got involved in a project, I cared about the vision and the outcomes that would drive a positive change. This passion extended to how I lived and demonstrated company values at the time with ‘Customer First’ and ‘Act Like Owners’ being my natural strengths. Helping people and taking initiative came naturally to me and yes, I was and am passionate about doing this in different contexts.
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” — Simon Sinek
How do you know what you are passionate about?
Caring is a good intent to approach new projects and problems with. The impact though will depend on how this “care” is converted into initiative to do something worthwhile. That’s what differentiates a sense of care to passion. The best way to figure out what you are passionate about is to just get started on doing different things. The more you do, the more you will know what you are mostly passionate about. It could be solving problems, analysing data, facilitating workshops - you won’t know until you actually try it.
Early on in my career, I said yes to most things just to gain experience and over the years this has given me more insight into what ignites my passion. The spark not just to dream of or want to do something but to actually do it, see it through till the end and want to do it all over again (and better). So if you are wondering what your passion is, reading books or watching videos won’t help out figure it out - you just have to get in the mix and try things.
I have often heard people say “I don’t know if I would enjoy doing such and such...” - the only way to know is by giving it a go which could be a role change, a secondment, a side project, a volunteering opportunity etc. The below quote from James Clear sums it up really well:
“Passion is a feeling that follows action. It tends to be created or discovered, not predicted or planned. You don’t find your passion. It finds you as you get in the mix and try things.” — James Clear
The emotional side of passion
Care and love are strong and personal feelings that will often bring up emotion. Embracing passion is understanding what it means to you and acknowledging the emotions that come along with being passionate about something. The emotions will be there - they are all indications that you care, that you love what you are doing, that you are passionate about it!
When I passionately champion a cause, it does evoke emotion:
😃 happiness when people get it
😟 sadness when it takes longer
😣 frustration when things get tough
🥳 joy when progress is made
...and a roller coaster of other emotions!
Have I well regulated my emotions at all times? Absolutely not! There was one time I was told I was being emotional when all I thought I was doing was advocating a change I thought was fair. There are so many factors that can influence a person’s perception and reception of your passion. Being exposed to different cultures and ways of working, I know how passion is expressed is very personal and unique. It's special when someone is passionate and sharing it with you. What not to do is being quick to judge, interrupting, passing sarcastic comments, making fun and ignoring as that can come across as hurtful and disrespectful to the receiver. It's also a missed opportunity in channeling that passion to something magical!
Pointers to look out for when someone is deeply passionate when speaking:
👁️ sparkling eyes
👄 lost for words
🥹 eyes tearing up
🔊 raised voice
💓 speaking from within
...and more!
To an outsider, some of these signs may be confused between passion and stress. Passion is what I call “good stress” - the drive to keep going and not give up because you love what you are doing. Others may not share the same passion as you though - this is where it could be misinterpreted as ‘getting worked up’, stressed, unrealistic, self-centered, impatient etc.
Depending on the context and culture, some level of regulation would only help us manage our own expectations, others’ perception and finally our wellbeing in the face of how things pan out. Emotional regulation (not suppression) can come handy when interacting with others. More on regulating emotions another time!
What also helps is the communication on how you leverage your passion in a way that speaks to people inspiring them to take action. Stay tuned for the next article which will be a summary from one of my all-time favourite books “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek.
💭 Until then, here are some reflection questions:
What are you most passionate about doing?
What emotions does it evoke in you?
How does your passion land on others?
Oh hi👋🏽 You have made it to the footer, where I get to share a bit about myself!
As an ICF trained coach, I am passionate about helping individuals gain clarity on their goals, uncover what’s holding them back and embark on a transformative journey. Using a results-focused, brain-based approach, I facilitate insights that empower you to discover your unhidden potential and take meaningful action for growth.
More about me and what I offer: www.unhiddenpotential.com
Contact anytime via LinkedIn or email: anne@unhiddenpotential.com
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