We've all heard it from the time we were young -- it's important to set goals, and it's important to attempt to achieve them. All of us, in one way or another, have set a goal at some point (and a lucky few of us may have even completed them).
However, I firmly believe that there's a particular trait that sets us apart as people. A trait that sets the extraordinary above the ordinary. That trait is passion.
It's one thing to set a simple goal -- "I'll get an A on this paper" or "I'll go to the gym at least once a week for the next few months" kinds of goals. Achieving them takes some effort on your part, but nothing that's ever too strenuous is required of you (unless you count carving time out of your day to go to the gym as a strenuous activity).
The other types of goals -- the ones that ordinary, lazy people see as too far -etched -- such as becoming a famous writer, or an athlete, or a surgeon...those goals require a lot more work, a lot more time, and a heck of a lot more effort. And if you have passion for what you do, you are so much more likely to reach the finish line.
Passion keeps you moving. Passion is what makes you get out of bed at five in the morning to go practice for a tournament, even if you'd rather stay in your warm bed. Passion is what keeps you up late at night, making sure that the final chapter of your manuscript is the best quality it can be.
More importantly, passion is what reignites the fire inside of you when you feel you've lost your way. When you're feeling stressed, or down, or alone -- when you'd rather just give up on your big dream and settle for a nap or a good cry instead -- your passion for your goals and your future career reminds you why you're doing what you're doing. Your passion reminds you why you ever made the decision to go away to college. It reminds you why you're constantly exhausted from practicing. It reminds you of all of the incredibly amazing things that lie ahead as long as you just keep moving.
We've all had our moments of doubt. I've had plenty of them myself, staring at a not-so-hot grade on a paper or suffering a dreaded case of writer's block. It would be three in the morning and I'd be writing for my manuscript and wanting nothing more than to go to bed. Worse yet, there are those times when I sit back and realize that my goal of being a famous writer isn't as easy as it seems -- because while I certainly think I have the skill set, so do hundreds of thousands of other people in this world, all jockeying for the same thing. What are the odds that I'll actually be one of the lucky people that gets my big break and my dream job?
My passion for writing, and for stories, and for that big building on 195 Broadway quickly reminds me that for time being, my numerical chance of success doesn't matter -- because no matter what the odds are, I still have a chance. My passion pushes me to keep writing and blogging and chasing my dream -- because even if, down the line, I don't get the position I've always dreamed of, I'll have the degree and the skill set to get something else I can love.
One of the best things about passion is that it's contagious. When somebody close to you has such a passion for achieving their own goals and desires, you can't help but want to work harder towards your goals, too. As you see people around you achieve the things they've set their minds to, you realize that the reality of your own dreams isn't as far-fetched as you may have thought, and it makes you want to do everything in your power to get a taste of their success.
A few months ago, I wrote a letter in a graduation card. The thing I stressed the most in this letter was that no matter what happens, you must always chase your dreams. I said that, no matter what or who gets in your way, you must keep running. Even when you're tired, or you're stressed, or you think you can't do it -- you must never stop running after that big dream on the horizon. Because, if you work hard enough, you'll limit the distance between you and it -- and then you'll be standing on the horizon yourself, relishing in everything you've worked so hard for.
Passion is an extremely important trait for somebody looking to achieve a big dream. Even when you're feeling down or lost, or you just want to give up, having a passion for what you do reminds you of everything you've sacrificed to get where you're going.
Most importantly, passion isn't for quitters. It's what encourages us to never, ever give up.
