Passionate: showing or caused by strong feelings

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had two or more interviewees express their passion for the topic being discussed. 

The phrase, “Excuse me Amy, I’m just very passionate about this topic,” has raised its bashful head as Jasperites speak about their love or hate of certain topics. 

It’s almost like our passion is our weakest link, leaving us out to dry as the rest of the community (who may not be so passionate) ruin or tamper with it. The vulnerability of letting ourselves become so entwined with a topic or entity can overwhelm our lives and day-to-day living.

Why do we feel the need to apologize for how excited our passion makes us? How outspoken have we become, as we rant to whatever ear is listening? Why do we want to hide away that passion, like it’s a bad child being sent to the naughty corner? 

You may try to hide it, but as a reporter, I can always tell the ones who really are passionate, they really care about the matter at hand – whether it be the location of a new school, Patricia Street closures, Jasper in January or a kid’s hockey team. 

Besides making for great quotes, it can also be a little inspiring to hear people speak about their love or hate of a topic. For what else do we have our weird emotions?

Passion is like a cocktail: to each to their own, some like the fruity ones, some prefer the milky ones and others, well they just hate cocktails altogether. “Give me a beer!” they shout.

For me, it’s writing and photography.

Does your passion tie into your occupation? I certainly hope you’re lucky enough to answer yes to that question, because it sure does make life more enjoyable.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (and please do not think I’m a Rice advocate) often talks of finding her passion and following it, but for some of us that’s easier than others. A perfect example is the struggling artists out there just trying to break even and make a go by doing what they love.

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Rice made a pertinent point that “when you are searching for your passion you can’t let it be limited by what others think you ought to do.”

I’ve always been sort of lucky that I never had tell-me-what-my-future-is parents. A good friend of mine, who’s in his third of a four year engineering degree, wasn’t so lucky. 

Told to be an engineer or, something else equivalent in stature and financial reward, he never followed his dream, and passion, to take a year off and play guitar while traveling the world.

After all, what would the world be like if we were all grumpy 40-somethings that hate our jobs and lives because we left our passion behind when we were just knee high?

Again, I think Rice sums it up perfectly. “If you don’t love what you do and you’re not passionate about what you do, you are not going to advance very far,” she said.

Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s not that easy. I’ve worked in many jobs that don’t let me write every day and run around outside taking photographs. But, I’ve always enjoyed what I’ve done and found my passion, for the better or worse of my social or financial situation.

So, just because you’re out there serving rude, apathetic, jet-setters wishing you were starring in the next Slumdog Millionare it doesn’t mean you can’t find something in the job that strikes a flame with your passion, it just means you have to work harder to get there.