Got Passion?

Have you thought about your passion lately? Have you considered what gives you the energy to do what’s hard? The courage to stay that course? Have you considered how your passion is being conveyed and perceived by others around you?

Passion has been on my mind for the past year as I have been working hard to finish my vision of how classrooms look when they are passion-driven. I’ve been writing, thinking, blogging, tweeting and making my case for passion in our schools and in the lives of individuals who spend time there.

In an effort to push the boundaries of the conversation, I invited a diverse group of thought leaders from across the Blog/Twittersphere to examine the topic and weigh in with their perspectives and advice. Over fifty talented writers accepted the challenge. Each with their own stories and insight examined the role passion played in their work, learning, and life.

We used the following questions as a jumping off point and each post took the conversation(and my thinking) in a new direction.

Questions like:

• What is passion…really?
• How do you define passion?
• How could/does passion change the game?
• How does passion present itself in your work? life? organization?
• What does it mean for you? our students? your community? clients? the world?
• Can passion be “taught”?
• How is passion different than engagement?
• What conditions are necessary for passion to exist?
• Is passion a necessary  or a “nice to have” quality?
• What are the repercussions of being a “passion-less” person or organization?
• Can we quantify passion? If so, how?
• What is misunderstood about passion?
• What can we do to change this? move the conversation forward?

I was not only awed and amazed at the candidness, honesty, and boldness of their answers;  I was amazed at how contagious the conversation became. Hundreds of tweets and fifty plus blog posts later, confirms that passion matters to educators, innovators,  marketers, bloggers, branding specialists, parents, radio personalities, project managers, PR pros, professional speakers, leaders, scientists, leaders, coaches, and students.

Seth Godin would say,“a tribe” like this, could change the world, and  I couldn’t agree more! This small Twitter project is a microcosm of the potential these conversations could have in your world.

Passion, energy, and initiative are gifts that people choose to give or withhold day-by-day and moment-by-moment. Engaging these gifts requires managing and organizing “our classrooms” and our “boardrooms” in very different and distinctive ways.

What would happen if…

• Your writing and speaking became more passionate? Whether it be your blog, a tweet, or a face to face conversations. Do your words make the difference you want them to?
• You worked  to Amplify your Passion? With tools like Shareaholic, Seesmic, Ping.fm one passionate gesture  can spread across multiple channels and receivers with the click of a button!
• Noticed Passion? – Passion has many faces. It is not always outward and bold. Do you notice ALL acts of passion? Who are the indispensable colleagues and friends in your life or business? Have you told them how much their passion matters?
• Spread Passion? I challenge you to ask your friends and readers to talk about passion; link to others speaking the same language, and watch the conversation explode.

Inspiring people to give generously of these talents and gifts requires a renewed committment to passion. We need to help keep the conversations going.  Join me in this #passiondriven conversation. We CAN change the world, but not alone and not without passion!

Happy Holidays, Friends!

Related articles

• I don’t care what readers think, I like what I’m blogging. (kevin.lexblog.com)
• Passionate for Professional Learning (dougpete.wordpress.com)
• The Passionate Leader (brandimpact.wordpress.com)
• Passion: What does it mean to you? (purplewren.com)
• How to Get the Attention You Deserve (pushingsocial.com)