Passion Versus Desire

Finding your passion is about more than just fulfilling your cravings or desires. There is a difference between passion and desire. Passion that comes from your natural tendencies, or what can be called "purpose," is not dependent on your circumstances. You can tell the difference between the two because of how you feel when you do the activity. Doing activities inline with your passion that comes from purpose will make you feel energized, alive and make you want to continue the activity even more. You can lose track of time, become obsessed and maybe even have to give yourself time limits on how much you engage in the activity. You are like an addict.

On the other hand, doing activities that fulfill desires that are circumstantial can make you feel satisfied and content. The more you do the activity, the more satisfied you become and less interested in continuing the activity. One example of this is the love of babies or small children. Someone whose passion is to be around them might want to run a daycare center or be school teacher, whereas, someone who wants to be a parent will feel that deep desire fulfilled by birth or adoption.

Your true passion is like a soul-mate activity. It is the thing that makes you feel alive when you do it. Recognizing your passion that comes from purpose, or your natural tendencies, can often happen if you think about what you would want to do if you had all of your needs and desires met. If you had all of the money in the world, finished traveling and had all of your wishes and desires fulfilled, what would you want to do with your time?

Some people say they have a dream or passion about something at which they are not very good. Just look at the American Idol tryouts. Everyone thinks they are the best. But they often have not taken any time to learn or train to be the best. They have a desire but not a real passion. People who find their true passion often want to be good at what they love. Wanting to learn more and putting forth the effort to do so is a natural part of pursuing your passion.

This is why passion is such a crucial part of success. It is like a natural river of drive and energy you can ride toward your goal of success. One way to ride that river is to find a way to be successful with the passion itself. If you love to paint, learn to be the best you can be and find a way to make money painting. You would have a better chance of finding success than if you love painting and you become a waiter. Another way to ride that river is to find a way for success in one area to allow you to engage in your passion. If you love to travel, but cannot find a way to make money from it, find another way to make money and then use it to travel. Either way, finding your passion is the best and strongest motivation to find success. Any successful person you meet can tell you in a heartbeat what their passion is and how that helped them find success. Find your passion, and let your passion drive you to success.