"Whatever you do in life, you have to be available." - Coach Herm Edwards

Race and Identity in Sports was the title of the virtual event I chose to attend the night ASU football Head Coach, Herm Edwards, revealed the best advice I had heard in a long time.

The hour-long discussion was hosted live over Zoom at 6 p.m. that night by ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications as part of an ongoing series known as Must See Mondays.

I stared at my computer screen patiently as I waited for the event to start and wondered what direction the conversation would go. I had gone to multiple Must See Mondays before and have heard plenty of discussions from well-known professionals.

A moment later the Zoom waiting room disappeared and I was connected to the event along with 168 other audience members. A half-hour later I found myself frantically scribbling down one of the best quotes I had ever heard.

"Whatever you do in life, you have to be available." - Coach Herm Edwards

Now, his quote could be interpreted differently by different people. To Edwards, the quote was about passion. If you are passionate about something you will make yourself available to it.

Edwards described this concept by explaining that football is his passion. He explained that he never misses a practice. Missing a practice would be missing an opportunity to improve, and if a person is truly passionate about what they do, they would always want to improve.

If a person is truly passionate about what he or she does they will never let an opportunity to improve their skills for their passion pass them by. According to Edwards, to be passionate is to be fully available to it.

But what did this quote mean to me? Why did I find it so fascinating and what did it change about my perspective on passion.

After hearing this quote I immediately took a step back. I looked at my life as if it was a movie and I thought to myself, "ok, what do I make myself available to no matter what".

Then it hit me.

I realized that along with everything that is part of my life now and has been part of my life in the past there is always a one activity that I never pass up. On activity I never skip, I never get too busy to do and always make time for. The one activity that I am always available for is writing.

And that is when I realized that writing is my passion. Not all things journalism, not designing or reporting or managing social media, although I love doing all those things. My real passion is simply just writing.

So, with that said, to anyone searching for their passion, I encourage you to think of this quote, and take a step back, look at the opportunities in your life you never pass up.

Chances are that activity is what you are passionate about.