Where’s The Passion?
Nov

(Before you get all “I hate that anti-Semitic asshole Mel Gibson” on me, it’s just a picture….)
Walk through any mall, subway station, or busy street, and you will see the faces of people who are just going through the motions of life. If you take the time to really study someone’s expression, body language, and demeanor, you can often see they’re living a miserable existence.
I’ve always been someone who pays attention to the small details in life. People watching is one of my favorite things to do because I feel like it’s a great way to learn about human nature. I will sometimes watch someone from afar and based on their actions and interactions with others, try to figure out what their life is like.
It’s funny, but you can tell a lot about a person by watching them for a short while. You can tell if they have a hard life, if their relationship with their spouse is good or bad, if they are a good parent, if they like their job, and even what type of car they drive.
The thing that has always stood out to me the most though is the lack of passion I see. I see people living apathetic lives and it’s sad. Life is hard, no doubt about it and it’s written on the faces of so many of us.
Where’s The Fire?
We walk through life without the desire for something better. Sure, everyone would like to have more, but I’m talking about a burning passion for a better life. Our days go by so quickly that we barely have time to think about what we really want.
When was the last time you spoke with someone who had that fire in their eyes and that zest for life attitude? That’s the person who has a vision of something better. They are not thinking about how much their job sucks or how they are struggling to pay their bills. Those are just details in the way of their success.
I can tell you that I rarely talk to someone like that. It’s usually just the same ol’ same ol’. It’s like when someone asks you “how’s life” and you reply “taking forever”. (yes, that’s a line from ‘Kingpin’). It’s almost as though we’re just biding our time here until it’s time to die.
Being around a person that is living passionately is truly awesome and makes you realize that there is much more to life than just running through the daily checklist of bullshit things.
Of course, we all get excited about certain things from time to time, like getting a new car or taking that long overdue vacation. But those things are just a temporary happiness band aid on the bigger picture. That’s not passion.
I would love to tell you that I’ve figured out how to live with passion, but I cannot do that. Yes, I have several things I am very passionate about, such as my daughters and this blog, but I am not living passionately. Far from it actually.
The Grind Is Killing Us
The grind of unmeaningful work, long commutes, chronic stress, financial hardships, struggling marriages, and poor health are killing us slowly. How are we supposed to live with excitement, energy, or happiness when we can’t even get over our day to day shitty lives?
This is an issue that I really struggle with on a daily basis. I literally think about how unhappy I am every day and wonder how in the hell I can make it better. Changing your mindset from negative (me) to positive (not me) often seems like an insurmountable challenge, but in all reality, it’s probably not that difficult.
They say you can’t see the forest for the trees and that’s exactly what’s happening to most of us. We don’t take time to appreciate the things in life that are actually meaningful.
Watching an elderly couple walking down the street holding hands, knowing that they’ve been married for 50 or 60 years, is one of these things. Knowing that when one of them dies, the other will have lost something so inestimable that they lose their reason to live.
These things are all around us and can help us focus on the important things in life. Life should be all about being happy, enjoying great relationships, and living passionately, and every day we spend otherwise, is another day wasted.

Frank
I could not agree with you more Steve.
Mary Anne
Excellent post, Steve. Finding one’s passion and living a passionate life is a topic I have chosen to study as well–in the hopes that somewhere along the way I will find and live mine, too.
Steve
Thanks Mary Anne. I certainly hope you find your passion, and when you do, take full advantage! I know so few people who are living their passion, so I sincerely hope you can someday live yours…
Laura Click
Very well put, Steve. I hope that you find a way to live your life with passion. I think a lot of it is developing a mindset to be happy and learning how to frame your circumstances. I think the other part of it is looking at what you don’t like about your life and figuring out how to change it. Sometimes, it takes outside help to do that. Personal coaches can be a huge help in that regard. The outside perspective can be the breath of fresh air that you need to rejuvenate yourself.
All that said, life isn’t always full of rainbows and unicorns. There are always hills and valleys and sometimes we have to go through the junk to get to the good stuff. The fact that you are writing about this and want to be better shows that you really care about living intentionally. I have no doubt you will find your way.
Steve
Laura,
Thanks so much for the comment. You make some excellent points. Negativity can suck you right in and then becomes a habit. That’s where a lot of people are in their lives. It takes a lot of mental fortitude to stay positive day in and day out, especially when you are miserable.
Charles Zulli
Love the tone….keep it rolling
Steve
Thanks Charles, that’s the plan 🙂