Jack Welch wrote an article in 2004 called The Four Es wherein he outlines what it takes to be a leader. The "Es" are Energy (you love action and relish change), an ability to Energize others (you love people and can inspire them), Edge (you can make yes-or-no decisions in a world that's full of shades of gray), and an ability to Execute (you can get things done). If you've just got these, though, you're not there yet. The last hurdle is Passion (you have an authentic excitement for life and work), and if you haven't got that then you're just showing up. In the end, it's pretty easy to tell whether passion is there or not.
Philip Seymour Hoffman said in a recent interview that he discovered his passion for theater at a young age. But his "deep kind of love [for acting] comes at a price. For me, acting is torturous, and it is torturous because you know it's a beautiful thing. I was young once, and I said, '[Acting] is beautiful and I want that.' Wanting it is easy, but trying to be great - well, that's absolutely torturous." I take this to mean that he loves acting so deeply, and feels his characters so profoundly, that it practically hurts inside. And the price - time, energy and effort - is worth it. That's passion and it shows in his work.
How does passion lead to success? Malcolm Gladwell writes in his latest book, Outliers, about the 10,000 hour rule. He posits that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of work to get really, really good at something. Once you're good, you're successful. I think that sounds about right. But are you going to spend 10,000 hours on something you don't have any zeal for? Nope. Passion has to come first.
Picasso said, "All children are artists, the problem is how to remain an artist once she grows up." In other words all children have passion, as Dan Miller writes. I look at my 2-year-old and it's hard to see things she's not passionate about. The problem is the responsibilities of life get in the way as we get older and our passions get lost in the mix. But they are there - they're just buried beneath the layers. Some, like Hoffman, latch onto theirs before growing up happens.
How do you find yours? End the pressure you put on yourself by associating passion with some grand and noble cause - it can just as easily be something small. Don't waste time doing stuff you don't like; spend time reflecting on the things you do like. And stop searching. It's probably right in front of you.
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