Recently I was contemplating about how some people are just so naturally talented and don’t have to work at all on their skills and even their poop is rainbow colored. How can life be so unfair? All the filthy talented and extremely successful people are always saying that they never even thought they would be doing this and it all started with an accident. ‘You know, I couldn’t have thought in my wildest dreams that I will be an actor.’ ‘Oh music was something that completely fascinated me, but I never wanted to sing..’
These journeys of chasing their ‘passions’ usually start with an accident. How their teacher forces them to be in a play and they win a prize, or how they are given a science homework as a punishment but they just do it so well they get extra marks. That makes me wonder, are these things that we are so crazy about really our passions? Think about it, if you really loved it with all your heart and soul why would you need appreciation to actually pursue it? Or is it so that we just find out we are good at something and declare it as our passion because it is easy that way?
All the success stories and stories of ‘chasing your dreams’, ‘nurturing your passions’ start with a prize, a compliment or an achievement. No one says ‘oh! I am a total loser at soccer but it is my passion!I love it!’ So why not? Don’t you think it is worth giving a thought. What are our passions really?
Brainbrewery 
Nice questions!
I don’t think we can just define passion in a few words.
Let’s take an example…
I am not a very good coder, but coding is still my passion. Why? Because there is a certain mental satisfaction in coding. You have to be logical, follow all constraints of the coding language and still be able to come up with a really good solution.
I write good poems, but I am not *passionate* in the true sense about “poetry”. I don’t really want anyone to congratulate me for doing so. All the rewards and praise that comes with me writing poetry is just a bonus. That’s because I don’t have to use my brain “consciously” to write poems. They just happen.
But, if I get rewarded for coding well, my passion would embed itself in my consciousness, and I would strive to be even better. Because I would have earned that reward. So maybe there are two types of passions?
The one that come naturally, and which people take for granted.
And the other that comes from hard work and diligence, which people want praise for 🙂
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