"There is no passion to be found playing small--in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."
—Nelson Mandela.
Good morning!
It's a brand new week, full of promise for inspiring ourselves to reach for the stars and become the best versions of ourselves.
This week, I want to write extensively on the topic of Passion—recognizing and kindling the raging passion within us to fire up our skills and propel us to success.
I will never forget when I first picked up John C. Maxwell's book "Talent Is Never Enough." In his book, he gives readers tips on how to develop their talents in order to become what he calls a "Talent-plus person." In the first chapter, he discusses how "belief lifts your talent," whether it's the belief in your potential, yourself, or the purpose that motivates and encourages you. After that, he lists another twelve aspects in life that could have some bearing on your capacity to realise your ambitions.
This book teaches you how to become a "Talent-plus" person by not only relying only on your natural abilities, but rather by incorporating a number of other ingredients that complement your natural abilities.
One of these ingredients he talked about was Passion. He titled that chapter “Passion energises your talent”. It encapsulates practically everything there is to know about the significance of having passion in order to do great things. Recently, I was thinking back on what I had read on those pages and said to myself,
"Alpha, you need to talk about what you have read."
So, here I am...doing exactly that.
What is passion?
It is not uncommon for individuals to use terms like "passion" without completely grasping their true meaning. However, the book enlightened me. At the outset of the chapter, the author poses the question, “What carries people to the top?
What makes them take risks, go the extra mile, and do whatever it takes to achieve their goals? It isn’t talent. It is passion.” It became clear what really compels world shakers and movers to go all out to achieve greatness—passion!
When you are passionate about what you do, you don’t need to force yourself to persevere...to fight against all odds to succeed. It comes to you naturally. Passion drives you. Passion is what gets you restless until you have achieved your goal.
Oprah Winfrey said it better when she said:
"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."
Despite the fact that there is a pressing necessity to discuss what passion is and what it is not, I will not focus on that aspect today. However, what I will concentrate on is yet another incredible discovery I made while reading the book (the book is a goldmine trust me).
Do you sometimes sit down, take a look at some people around you, observe their behaviours and their enthusiasm towards your dreams and what you are passionate about? Do you observe anything peculiar about their attitudes? If you do, you will see that you are surrounded by two kinds of people. There are some who will go to any length to support you, to urge you to pursue your passions, and to assist you in being successful. Then there are some who do nothing but discourage you, drag you down, and tell you that you will never succeed.
John C. Maxwell categorises these people into Firelighters (those who will go out of their way to help you keep your fire hot) and Firefighters (those who will throw cold water on the fire of passion that burns within you).
Know the difference and know which of these categories to surround yourself with.
“Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.”
~ W. Gibson.
Have you ever told someone about your dream, just to have them say some terrible words to sabotage it? If so, how did it make you feel?
YOU: “I’ve been thinking about writing a book, and—”
THEM: (cut in) “It’s really hard to get published, you know.”
There! That right there is of the firefighting kind. Keep them away from you as best as you can.
There’s a breed of pricks who quietly lurk, ready to attack your precious, vulnerable ideas as soon as you share them with the world. These people are known as naysayers, non-supporters, dream killers, or just plain assholes (as Gibson will put it). You can find them at work, in social circles, in the family, you name it. It can be your boss, friend, dad, husband or wife, your neighbour…
Wherever you meet them, the same poisonous propensity comes from these firefighters: they get off on popping bubbles, raining on parades, throwing wet blankets on ambitions and farting on dreams.
“What’s that? Do you want to be the world’s greatest singer? Lol, what sort of freaky shit have you been on these days? You better focus on singing at funerals.”
How Can You Tell The Lighters From The Fighters?
‘I know someone else who tried that and it didn’t work out for them.’
‘Are you sure you’re qualified?’
“It will never work because…”
“You can’t make any money doing that.”
‘Normal people usually just get a real job.’
“Are you sure that is not dangerous?”
“That’s not practical.”
“We’ve tried it before. It didn’t work!”
“You are not that smart”
...among others.
If you have heard any of the above phrases or other variants of it from anyone around you, chances are you have a firefighter...poised and eagerly advancing with their water, fire blankets, extinguishers etc to put out your fire. Don’t let them!
Considering how you feel after spending time with these firefighters is the greatest method to identify them. Do you have confidence in yourself and a willingness to try new things? Or are you sad, confused, and unable to handle your feelings? Our emotions are a gift that informs us of what we need to alter in order to experience more happiness and satisfaction in life. You should avoid people that make you feel depleted, afraid, or anxious after spending time with them.
Surround yourself with positive-minded people who will encourage you to go the extra mile. When you put yourself in an environment that is full of positive vibes, it is much simpler to maintain your concentration on the objectives you have set for yourself. You'll have a more positive opinion of yourself. When you spend time with these people, you will get feelings of energization and motivation. You won't feel as much anxiety as you did before.
Sometimes (too), you don’t just need to surround yourself with people who will only fuel your fire. You have to also surround yourself with people who are on fire themselves.
That's another way to be influenced and motivated to push harder towards your goals too.
D.S. Mashego puts that simpler:
“To remain far-sighted, you need to surround yourself with far-sighted visionaries. You need to surround yourself with people who think like you. You need to surround yourself with people who speak the same language as you. You need to surround yourself with people who fight and refuse to give up on their destiny. You need to surround yourself with people whose testimonies give you reasons to press on.”
Always keep in mind that the people with whom you spend the majority of your time shape who you eventually become. If you want your level of achievement to continue to rise, you need to surround yourself with people that not only motivate you but also push you to do better. It is not always simple, but it is well worth the effort.
Have a great day and keep the fire burning! Until the next post, stay safe.
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Also, drop your thoughts in the comment box below.
Have you had an encounter with a firefighter? How was it? What did they say to you? How did you overcome their negativity?