The Key of UNDYING PASSION
Passion is the fuel of destiny. It is often said that where there is no vision, the people perish; but then where there is no passion, the vision perishes. Without passion, destiny is left to mare chances. Passion is the propeller of destiny. Passion is what drives an individual for fulfillment. Passion is the fire that burns within you for accomplishment.
To lack passion is to be a walking-dead man. No matter how colourful your destiny is by potential, when passion is absent, frustration becomes the result. What you don’t love cannot last in your hands. Similarly, if you are not driven toward your vision through passion, it can never come into fruition. You can’t change what you are comfortable with; therefore, you cannot break out of where you are into where you should be until you are driven by something on your inside.
There was a woman called Mary Slessor. She’s popular in Nigeria as the missionary that put a stop to the infanticide of twin babies. It was a common practice in many rural areas decades ago. She however had this vision, but was also driven by passion. She wanted to put an end to that cruel tradition even if it would cost her life.
One day on her way into one of those remote villages, she was warned to turn back otherwise she would get herself killed. But she responded “Onward, I dare not look back!” She was ready to die for what she believed in.
Passion is not finding something to live for; passion is finding something to die for. Passion is pursuing your vision with everything inside you. Slessor eventually died in Nigeria, but she died fulfilled. Today, she’s a song on the lips of every Nigerian generation as the woman who did not only live for something, but died for it. The good thing is that she died accomplished.
Passion means refusing to look back in spite of the potential horrors you may face trying to fulfill your purpose. Passion is moving “Onward” like Slessor said, despising your fears and aggressively approaching your destiny. Passion is indeed the fuel of destiny.
There was a man called John Knox. He is renowned as the reformer that brought the great and unending revival to the nation of Scotland. It was however a task that took a lot from him. But he was driven by passion and his passion for this vision reflected in one of his popular prayers. He prayed in those days saying “O Lord, Give me Scotland or I die”.
Wow! That was all he craved for. That was all he lived for and that was what he was ready to die for. In fact, I believe by that prayer, he meant “God, you are either giving me this nation or you’re killing me! There’s no other reason for me to be alive. I want to bring revival to this land and if you’re not going to make this happen for me, then kill me!” God heard this desperate cry from a passionate man and granted his desires. He’s not going to be forgotten in a hurry. Passionate people live on. They never really die.
Mother Theresa had so much passion for the weak, especially children. She was ready to accommodate all of them. She would often tell those who were carrying unwanted pregnancies not to abort the babies; but asked them to go ahead and give birth, then bring the babies to her. That was her passion. She was ready to die for this cause. She can never be forgotten in a hurry.
Try to find what burns in your heart, what moves you, what stairs you up, what makes your heart to jump. That’s probably passion and is the key that will unlock your destiny. When you have found it, pursue it tirelessly, vigorously, earnestly and relentlessly.
How to Fuel Your Passion
Keep an eye on your goals:
The truth is, the more you keep an eye on your goals for life; the more you develop the zest to accomplish them. If you take your eyes off your aspirations, you’ll lose the passion for pursuit.
Maintaining focus is the key to increasing your passion. When you start trying to be like other people, you will get distracted and lose the zeal to pursue your own vision.
We are told in the Bible that the only reason why Jesus Christ could endure the sufferings he went through was because he kept focusing on the future (Hebrews 12:2, 1 Peter 2:11). According to those verses, it was “the joy that was set before Him” that made Him to “endure the cross” and “despise the shame” He was subjected to. Through focus, He was able to gather the passion He needed to fulfill His destiny; in spite of the persecutions He faced.
Friend, it doesn’t matter what your aspirations are; you need to get zealous about them if you want to accomplish any of them. It’s not enough to have a vision. You also need an inner drive to bring your vision into reality. It is pursuit that makes vision real and it is passion that provides the energy for pursuit.
Avoid Competition
One remarkable truth I discovered is that there’s no need competing with anyone since we all have different assignments. All we need do is focus on our unique goals and aspirations to get them fulfilled. I’m not trying to be a musician, so I need not be envious of any of them nor create enmity between me and them.
At the root of enmity is envy and at the root of envy is unhealthy competition. Why get jealous over someone else who is not heading your way? Everybody’s future is unique to him or her. We may share ideas but we are heading different directions so we must get rid of envy and focus on achieving our own goals.
Growing up many years back, we were told the story about a dog ‘X’ with a bone in his mouth who ran to a pond in search of water. On getting to the pond, he saw another dog ‘Y’ inside the water with a bone in his mouth too. Dog ‘X’ became envious of dog ‘Y’ in the water and tried to snatch the bone dog ‘Y’s’ mouth. When he opened his mouth to bark at dog ‘Y’, his own bone fell into the water and then he realized that dog ‘Y’ in the water was just a reflection of himself. That’s what envy can do. You lose everything you have when you become envious of others.
Envy is an enemy of passion. Envy only promotes strife, but focus fuels passion and passion fuels pursuit and pursuit fuels accomplishment. So, instead of getting bothered over other people’s progress, fix your eyes on your own dreams and channel all your energy towards them. You can fuel your own passion through focus.