Most people think commitment is a consequence of passion. But it’s the other way around. Passion is a product of commitment. If your life is without passion, make a commitment. – Roy H. Williams
The Secret to Finding Passion Again
I have a knack for being good at whatever comes my way.
I was a good baseball player. I played catcher.
I was a good actor. I performed off-Broadway in NYC.
I was good at radio. I worked with some great stations in the midwest and south.
I am a good Voiceactor. I’ve done all sorts of work from KFC to Billy Graham!
I usually ’roll with the tide’… I try to make the best of whatever I stumble into. I ride
the wave, and let it take me where it will.
But that isn’t the path to a passionate life.
I have always wanted to be on fire for something.. for my purpose, my destiny, to change the
world!
Recently, I realized that letting life “happen to me” won’t get me any closer to my
passion.
I have to happen to life.
What’s the Secret?
There’s a story in the Bible that might shed some light on this.
It’s about a prophet called Elijah. He speaks to people for God. God tells him that he is
about to take the ‘Flaming Chariot Home to Heaven’ (literally) – so he needs to name his
‘successor’.
God says, “Elijah, name Elisha to pick up where you leave off. His name is similar to
yours so he is a good choice.” (He may or may not have said that last part)
So, Elijah finds Elisha plowing his fields and says to him,
“Yo! Follow me – you’re going to be my successor as a prophet for God.”
Elisha says,
“Well, let me go say goodbye to Mom and Dad – and then we’ll be on our way.”
But before they go – he does something very interesting…check this out:
So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.
1 Kings 19:21
Elisha takes his cows, filets them, and makes a full on Bar-B-Q out of the wooden yokes that held them in line. Then he passes out the freshly cooked burgers and steaks.
The Point is this: He burned up his livelihood. He ginsu’d his oxen. He couldn’t go back to being a farmer.
He HAD to make the commitment to go forward and follow Elijah.
There was NO turning back. Whatever happened in the future?He couldn’t GO BACK to what he was doing before. He had to passionately commit to the new thing.
And that is the secret to finding your passion.
COMMITMENT
I have waited for my passion to smack me between the eyes. But it doesn’t work that way.
I haven’t really committed to make anything happen.
Since I naturally was just ’good’ at stuff, I just let stuff happen.
I never said – ’Hey I am going to commit to being great at something’.
Passion is Born of Commitment
If I let events in life just ’happen’ to me, I’ll never be passionate.
I have to make a decision to commit.
I have to move forward to what I believe I am called to do – and where I am being led.
I have to give up the old stuff, and get on with the new.
How do YOU apply this to your life?
If you’re letting your life just ’happen’ – you won’t have a passionate life.
You have to be passionately committed. Look for the next thing that is put in front of you.
If you don’t have the spark you once had?
Recommit to making your life and relationships stupendous.
Others won’t by into your newly found Zeal? That’s their problem.
The way to finding passion again:
Commit.
Period.