This is a question I keep asking myself whenever I'm in a situation where I lose this fire to get things done and keep moving forward.
There are moments when this fire gets put out and we're left to wonder what to do about it, in terms of finding a way to keep on keeping on.
An ideal world would be a world where we mostly focus on the activities that make us tick and totally ignore the activities that don't make us tick. But the reality is that activities that don't make us tick are part of the journey of life.
For example, duty and responsibility. These are activities that necessarily don't make us tick, yet we do them anyway, because they're important and fundamental.
They hold their own intangible value. In that, they connect us to something larger than ourselves, teach us discipline and resilience, and shape our character.
Passion Isn't A Straightforward Road
I tend to agree with the idea of following your passion. Because it's usually the best way to do great work. Without passion, there's always a missing dimension in the work we do, no matter how good we are at it.
Perhaps a good example of great work fueled by passion is Jane Goodall's exploration of the world of Chimpanzees. Her approach was totally different because she didn't look at chimpanzees from the outside but immersed herself into their world deep in the jungle.
This led her to make groundbreaking discoveries that challenged conventional scientific norms and broaden our understanding of primate behavior.
Who would've thought that chimpanzees possessed an element of self-awareness and a sense of agency, recognizing themselves in mirrors and even experimenting with deception? Up until then, it was thought that only humans have those capabilities.
What's interesting is that when what we do is aligned with passion, even technical skills or seemingly mundane tasks look less challenging and can be transformed into tools for impactful work.
Geniuses are often individuals who know a particular domain by heart.
But all of this means little or nothing when the objection about passion doesn't make us enough money to pay the bills or live a standard lifestyle is put forth on the discussion table.
This a very noticeable blemish, which can't be ignored, especially in the modern world.
Following our passion doesn't guarantee conventional or instant success. Even geniuses, those masters of their domain, might not instantly translate their brilliance into bankable success.
The truth is, the path of passion is rarely smooth. It's paved with moments of doubts and detours. But the real treasure is that it fuels the journey, making the pursuit itself infinitely more fulfilling than following a mundane path.
"What makes you tick?" is a question that reminds me that passion isn't a straightforward path. Sometimes, a detour may extinguish the fire or reduce it into a flicker. This is also part of the journey and not necessarily an end. We just have to hang in there.
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