Thursday, April 23, 2009

Being Great In Life Is About Pursuing Your Passion

What is "Passion"?

My favorite definition is "boundless enthusiasm".

My own passion is personal and professional growth and leadership. And for those of you that don't know me personally, believe me when I say that I live, breath, eat, and often sleep thinking about them - often at cost of other things in my life.

It was and still is my passion for these things that drove me to become a coach - to give up what most would call a great occupation, a good life, a secure job, making good money and in the name of trying to do what I knew I was called to do - to help others pursue their passion and make it a reality.

So, do you have a "passion" in your life? For your job? For anything that you do?

When you are gone, are people going to look at you and say, "He pursued his dreams" or "He gave the world his best and he lived a Great Life. He may not have created exactly what he wanted, but he had passion and he did every thing he could to make his dreams come true."

Or are they going to say, "He worked hard and had a good life."

'Good' is a product of doing what you are supposed to. But 'Great' is a when you harness your passion to create something special - something that no one else can do as well as you.

We are all good at something - many of us are good at many things. And most of us live very content lives being good at what we do. But I'm not here to be good - I wasn't given the most precious gift that anyone could receive - LIFE - just to live a good life. And neither were you.

We were put here to pursue perfection - and doing anything less, is, in my humble opinion, not appreciating the gift we were given.

One of the greatest gifts that I got in my Junior High years came from my Seventh Grade Social Studies Teacher, Mr Crismond. Believe it or not, it was a homework assignment to read a book - that at the time, I thought sounded very childish. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is a book that walks you through the life of a creature that decided to leave the ordinary to pursue perfection - TO BE GREAT. That book was Jonathon Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach.

If you haven't read it, your missing out.

If you have, I recommend reading it again. It's that powerful.

Jonathon was a seagull that dared to pursue something out of the ordinary - he dared to learn how to fly faster and higher than any other seagull had dared before. And it was his pursuit of these lofty goals - his vision - that is the story.

Are you living a good life? Is that all that you want? If you continue down the path that you are currently on, and you look back on your life, how are you going to feel? How do you want to feel? Are you going to be happy that your life was "good", but that maybe you could have been something more?

In the book, it's not the achievement of perfection that separated Jonathon from the rest of the seagulls - it was his desire to pursue it.

So, take some time out of your busy weekend - in between running the kids to sports games and sleep overs - and ask yourself, are you living a good life or are you chasing your passion and doing your best to live a Great Life.

7 comments:

  1. Wow, very powerful! I really like it! This is the type of things I'd like to have on my site. Wonderfully written!

    Remember,
    UchooseU

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  2. In the book, it's not the achievement of perfection that separated Jonathon from the rest of the seagulls - it was his desire to pursue it. - Such a powerful reminder! Thanks for another inspiring post.

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  4. My own passion is my family. I agree, I also eat, breathe, live & sleep thinking about them and it is at a cost of other things in my life.

    My passion is for them to have a better life than me. To not struggle for things, to not worry from paycheck to paycheck when they are my age if the bills will get paid. To not depend on anyone else but themselves for their financial & emotional stability in life. Both of my girls are so beautiful & smart, either of them could do anything. And when I say things like this to them, I get, "Oh Mom, you just worry for nothing". One is 22, & just divorced, the other is 19 & just married. You tell me if I worry for nothing!

    Click here for the rest of the story.........
    http://www.mydaymyway-uchooseu.blogspot.com

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  5. uchooseu,

    No, you aren't just worrying for nothing. Your concerned are real - but we cannot choose the the vision for our children, no matter how hard we try. The best we can do is to be a coach / mentor / leader for them on their journey (if they invite us) - but as I have learned, my clients choose their own journey. But I do help them achieve it.

    Unfortunately, it sounds like they are living in the now and not as focused on their futures. The question that comes to mind - what is their "vision"?

    Thank you so much for your comments. It's great to find someone with passion. I look forward to hearing more from you in the days and weeks ahead.

    Thanks,
    JJ

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  6. Wendy,
    Thank you so much for the input. I always appreciate your feedback and insight on my stories.

    JJ

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  7. Thanks so much JJ, I agree. Just found out, my youngest is pregnant. Guess she just decided her vision & future. She, too, will have her family as her passion. Both she & her husband will make great parents. They're awfully young & it's gonna be hard but they're happy & that's all that matters. We're all ectastic! Also, I just love all of your blogs, they are great.

    Thanks Bunches,
    UchooseU

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