In a recent blog we looked at ENTHUSIASM Ingredient # 1: Energy.
Now for the ENTHUSIASM Ingredient # 2: Passion!
Passion is that thing that keeps you up at night and wakes you up in the morning. It is a drive we have throughout our day, our week, our month, our year, and our life. Passion is not to be taken lightly.
One of the dictionary meanings of the word passion is: “a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything” (Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018). Passion works almost like a magnet drawing us in the direction of our strong and extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, and desire. When we plug into our passion we can feel the power behind it.
The original use of the word “passion” was in reference to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The fact that no matter the pain and agony of the sacrifice, he was driven to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Nothing could stop his strong and extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, and desire for you and me. Jesus would rather die than live without us and his passion proved it.
It was later applied to Christian martyrs who were willing to die because of their passion to follow Jesus. Once that passion took hold nothing could stop them. Not even the threat of death.
What is your strong and extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire? What is that one cause, group of people, or life quest you are willing to make extreme sacrifices in order to pursue? What is your passion? If you want to ignite your ENTHUSIASM you must find your passion!
Here are three questions to help in identifying your passion:
- What do you love to talk about?
Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, NIV). What is that one thing (or maybe two or three things) that you cannot stop talking about? When you hear this topic come up, you just have to weigh-in. You love to hear others talk about it and you love to talk about it.
You love learning about it so you can talk more intelligently about it. You love reading books about it or watching T.V. shows or videos about it. What is it that draws so much of your heart that you cannot shut up about it?
Whatever the answer is that is a good indication as to what your passion may be.
- If money was not an issue and you knew you could not fail, what is the one thing you would do with your life?
What was the first thing to pop into your head? That may be your answer as to what your passion is. I am not talking about a lazy answer like, “I would drink margaritas on the beach all day.” A passion is a contribution. It is what the world needs you to do because you will make the world a better place to live.
- What did you really enjoy doing and dreaming about as a kid?
Unfortunately we tend to lose sight of our passions as we grow older. Life smacks us right in the face and we leave our passion behind. Your spouse, your kids (and possibly grandkids), your friends, your church, and your world need you to recover your passion. I do not care if you are 90 years old and in a nursing home, if you can breathe and think on your own, we all need you to live out your passion. You will help to make this world a better place.
Passion is the willingness to sacrifice the good for the great. It is the willingness to give up some things in order to focus on the most important thing. Passion is a necessary ingredient to ignite your ENTHUSIASM!
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Tommy Lanham uses speaking and coaching to bring the power of enthusiasm to those who are ready to inspire their fire! He’s on a mission to break the monotony of the mundane and mediocre by bringing as much enthusiasm to as many businesses, ministries, marriages and individual lives as he possibly can.
He is a dynamic, award-winning speaker who has been training individuals and organizations to ignite their God-given potential for 25 years. With a unique blend of Ziglar motivation and ragamuffin faith, Tommy delivers powerful, life-changing messages filled with humor, hope, and enthusiasm. Tommy empowers, entertains and energizes audiences to achieve extraordinary results and live a life beyond what they ever dreamed possible.
Tommy is dedicated to helping you make your next event the best you’ll ever experience. Your audience will laugh, learn and be inspired as he mixes enthusiasm and humor with motivational stories to deliver a high content message. You will look like a rock star for hiring Tommy Lanham!
