The Good Use of Passion

Passion used correctly is a positive tool for doing good for others. People like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates have all used their passions for the greater good of others. And yet they are only a few of the most notable. Because we all have passions. We also have the ability within us to turn those passions into something great for mankind. Easy? No. Doable? You bet.

To make passion work, you must make it work for both yourself and others. For passion to be positive, it needs to flow. Take a lesson from the river Jordan. The sea of Galilee thrives because it allows the Jordan River to flow through it. This allows the sea to have an abundance of sea life, fishing, trade, and commerce. The sea does well for those who live around it, making their lives better because it is open to the flow.

Look at the other end of the river, and what do you have? The Dead Sea. All of the good that happens in the Sea of Galilee is missing from the Dead Sea. And one small item which is missing causes this. The Dead Sea does not have flow. Everything going to the Dead Sea stays there. Because it is stuck in the Dead Sea and has nowhere to go (no flow,) nothing grows.

And, this is an object life lesson which we can avoid if we want our passion to grow and if we’re going to help others. We can create a flow of our passion and our knowledge from us to others. The best thing we can do to create this flow is to help others to leverage off of what we’ve created so that they can go forth and do even better. It is in the creation of these win-win situations that our passion finds its true potential and the ability to grow a life of its own.

I have a funny feeling that somebody is reading this and saying, “That sounds good, but I can’t give things away, I have to make a profit.”

And yes, everybody has to live and to do so everyone has to earn. Yet when I look at people such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, all the way back to Michelangelo and beyond, I don’t think that what they have shared with billions has ever hurt their bottom line. Remember, none of these people had a significant stake to start with, and yet no one can deny the greatness that they have done for both themselves and for others.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof