Posts Tagged ‘Passion’

‘Study to show yourself approved…’ *

I spend at least one hour a day in study. The busier I get, the greater I find the need to dig deeper through the habit of study.

And what do I study?

1. I Study Where My Passion Lies

The bulk of my study time is devoted to my passion. For me my passion lies deeply entrenched in the writings of the philosophers throughout the ages. When I come across a philosopher who impacts my thoughts and my heart, I make it my mission to discover whom they read – and before long I am introduced to the company of those who formed the basis of modern thought as we know it today.

When I read I read to be inspired – and it is from there that I build my own structures – for they are the springboards from which I leap ever forward in my own thinking so that I can continue to be an effective influencer upon those who happen to come into my sphere of influence. As one who seeks to inspire others to excel, I must first be inspired . For me to water others I must first be watered. And this is where I drink deeply – daily.

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Diane Coutu wrote in the Harvard Business Review that resilient people shared three traits – a resolute acceptance of reality, a sense that life is meaningful, and an exceptional ability to improvise.

One of the most resilient people I know is my wife Shelley. The very first year I dated her she lost her dad. And then throughout the years her mum and other much loved relatives, and then last year her brother – to that insidious invader called death. And yet she pushes on resolutely – feeling the loss – but then adding and contributing so much into the lives of those of us who are still alive.

So let’s have a closer look at these traits.

1. A Resolute Acceptance Of Reality

I’m an optimist, but I’m also a realist. When I had to pack shelves at a supermarket in between careers, some years ago, I did it with a smile on my face. And as I rode my pushbike to work at four a.m. in the morning, or worked late into the night, I would always look for something good about what I was doing. I knew that it was only for a season, and I never let those arrogant managers wear me down. I’d made the choice to do this job, to allow me to have my days free to create new projects that I was working on like books and musicals. And what made it special was that in the evenings I would come home laden with bags of bread, bread rolls and sweet buns that had had their prices slashed to clear. Other employees would laugh at me with my load, particularly as they watched me lug all those bags home on the bike, but my children thought I was Father Christmas. The fact was, that no matter what turn of career I took – which represented my present reality, I always kept a tight hold on my life’s vision which was to be my future reality.

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What’s your hot button? What inspires you? What keeps you up at night? What are your dreaming about while you’re wide awake?

Have you discovered it yet?

Without finding your hot button, you could possibly die of frost bite – or send everyone around you to sleep. We were born to push our hot button. We were born  to add value to our family, our friends and our world. We weren’t born to be put on ice.

We were born to be red hot, to be ablaze with a burning passion and a fiery desire to make a significant difference every single day that we live here on planet earth.

So what are my words to you today?

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To walk in humility is not to be used as a doormat. Stand tall in the knowledge that you have been created for greatness. Know this. You have been born for a time such as this.  So be proud of who you are, of what you know and for what you can do.

When God created you He knew that He was creating something unique, something extremely precious and special.

You have a gift upon your life that no other human has been given. So be yourself. And take that gift and unwrap it so that we, as the recipients of the gift of your life that you offer, can receive it with great joy.

If your gift is to write, then write. If it is to paint, then paint. To speak, then speak. To build, then build. To compose, then compose. To support, then support. To create, then create.

But whatever you do, don’t do it half-heartedly. Do it with passion, and with a conviction that you have something of incredible value to offer the world.

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To be bound by imitation is to live a life of mediocrity.

Escape while you can. Tap into the uniquity that resides within you today. Commune with the creator who takes up residence in your heart and in your mind, and surprise the world with yet another moment of superb genius.

Attach passion to everything that you do, every word that you write, and every syllable that you speak.

Do not fellowship with the dead. Oh, yes, they walk, they talk, they squawk, but they are as parrots who simply repeat what others have uttered. There is nothing original about them at all. And within their utterances there is no soul. Their skeletons lack flesh. Their soil lacks nutrients. Their air lacks oxygen.

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