Passion comes from the Greek word (and then to Latin) "to suffer." When there is a problem you experience to the degree that you suffer, then you are experiencing a passion. We all suffer in some way every day: bad traffic, long lines, obtuse newscasters. We have no business, no call, to address any of this suffering or any suffering unless we find joy in alleviating the problem. If we find joy in the work of alleviating that problem, then our passion, our suffering, has meaning has a point. We have what the religious people term a "calling."
When we commonly say "passion" in relation to self-employment, as far as I know no one beaks it down as I have above, but in any case, people normally mean "excitement."
Excitement comes from the Latin to "call out" and we use it today in the sense of being stirred to action. Excitement is in relation to something outside of us as well, but it relates internally at a superficial level. We may see someone else's success, and say "I want that success." We may see a resource and say "I want to stand on top of that." We may see people clamoring for some product and say "I want them to come clamor to me." We may visit poor villagers and say "I want to be admired here and there." (Yes, that is harsh, but not as harsh as to be a villager who 1,000 times makes a sample and finds no USA market, or worse, desire to have Coca Cola and an iPhone and be told "We want to preserve your culture.")
Passion always relates to a problem that you experience and work to solve, a problem that undoubtedly effects others as well. And in the process of shopping your idea, you get feedback, before you make your item. With passion you experience pain and joy in ever improving solutions for problems other people experience.
If you were raised in the West, your desire for excitement was fostered and engagement of passion was beaten out of you. Hence, porn and video games, fast food and soulless dwellings, infantilized dress, single payer health care. Ick.
Now here is what is happening if you experience "excitement" instead of "passion." You simply will not have what it takes to do what is necessary to do your best work. Excitement gets crushed by failure and criticism, the parade stops when the rain starts.
Catch yourself when you say "Why don't they just...." It is the genesis...
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
When we commonly say "passion" in relation to self-employment, as far as I know no one beaks it down as I have above, but in any case, people normally mean "excitement."
Excitement comes from the Latin to "call out" and we use it today in the sense of being stirred to action. Excitement is in relation to something outside of us as well, but it relates internally at a superficial level. We may see someone else's success, and say "I want that success." We may see a resource and say "I want to stand on top of that." We may see people clamoring for some product and say "I want them to come clamor to me." We may visit poor villagers and say "I want to be admired here and there." (Yes, that is harsh, but not as harsh as to be a villager who 1,000 times makes a sample and finds no USA market, or worse, desire to have Coca Cola and an iPhone and be told "We want to preserve your culture.")
Passion always relates to a problem that you experience and work to solve, a problem that undoubtedly effects others as well. And in the process of shopping your idea, you get feedback, before you make your item. With passion you experience pain and joy in ever improving solutions for problems other people experience.
If you were raised in the West, your desire for excitement was fostered and engagement of passion was beaten out of you. Hence, porn and video games, fast food and soulless dwellings, infantilized dress, single payer health care. Ick.
Now here is what is happening if you experience "excitement" instead of "passion." You simply will not have what it takes to do what is necessary to do your best work. Excitement gets crushed by failure and criticism, the parade stops when the rain starts.
Catch yourself when you say "Why don't they just...." It is the genesis...
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
2 comments:
I have had the process restated for me again. Experience a problem and you will get passionate solving it.
A genuine question.. how can I experience more problems that I can act on to develop a product?
Hang on, I do not say "experience a problem and you WILL get passionate..." but in any event, to your question:
Why would you need to experience more problems? Why are not the ones you experience now sufficient from which to extract one for which you enjoy working on?
It may be you've had "passion" beaten out of you, in which case it is just a matter of rediscovering "care."
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