Passion is Key.

As I'm beginning to write this post, it's an early Monday morning that has me up before the first rays of the sun are anywhere to be seen. Surely, it won't be completed until the sun once more resides in its bed within the mountains. I'm currently stationed at a small table in the cafe of the Broadmoor as the aroma of burnt coffee parades around the room and nervous teenagers run about playing adult for the day. Pastry chefs file in carrying the warm, elegant masterpieces they've slaved all morning to create, which will undoubtedly be gulped down within minutes. A man in his twenties occupies the seat next to me and scrolls through the latest scientific findings on his all-too-commonly-oversized cell phone. A jogger can be seen in the distance as she races the sun up the horizon. Now is not the time for sleepy eyes, but the time for looking deeper. For seeing past the forced smiles and not-so-formal business attire, past the small talk and rushing about, past the nearly impenetrable aura of personality that envelops all someone has been, is, and is yet to be. Each one of these individuals is diverse and unique in one way or another, but they also share in one collective group, one underlying factor that makes life worth living. They all have passion.

Passion is easier to identify in some people than it is in others. For some, it's reflected in their aura. It shines brightly and acts as a light of direction, guidance, and even definition. The outgoingly passionate people are obviously quite easy to identify. They're the people who do things and act certain ways not because of the possibility of a reward, recognition, or because they're asked. They do it because they love to and the act of doing it is the most rewarding thing imaginable. They radiate passion with each word they say and action they take. It's infectious. For others, it's reflected much more discretely, illuminating from within but ever so often venturing out to be seen. They hold their passion close to their heart because it means everything to them. I've observed it both ways and they are equally as powerful, mystifying, and unwaveringly beautiful.

Case Study One: The business person who honestly and wholeheartedly believes in their company's mission and will do anything to fulfill it, the student who is willing to step out of their comfort zone and compete because they want it more than the next person, the runner who is up before the sun to stay in shape. Each one of these people I've named, represent outgoing passion. Passion that can be worn on your sleeve. Before venturing any further I'd like to remind you of the literal definition of passion:

pas·sion  /paSHən/ 

noun

1.strong and barely controllable emotion.

When a person's passion is barely controllable as the definition states and the case study examples illustrate, lives are transformed. Passion is such a powerful tool when used in the correct way. It leads to dedication, motivation, improvements, success, and most importantly happiness.

Case Study Two: A more introverted form of passion comes from those who do not demand recognition, but hope for it and undoubtedly deserve it. They're those pastry chefs who slave away in the kitchen day in and day out to make absolutely lovely pastries that people most likely won't give a second thought to as they're rushing out the door. They're those scholars who use their free time to research what's happening in the world of science. They're those teachers that plan and create for hours upon hours to develop fantastic lesson plans for often ungrateful students, not because they have to, but because they hold themselves to that standard, because they are passionate about the influence they have the chance to make. I've had my fair share of great and not-so-great teachers and coaches and the difference purely lies in each individual's passion for teaching the lesson at hand, whether it be set pieces, Dante's Inferno, or the pure importance of traveling. Passion shines through in a variety of ways and when it does it's magic.

Passion is one of the most attractive and beautiful aspects of human emotion. When someone speaks about something they're passionate about you feel connected with them in a different way, in a deeper way. You can see their eyes light up and their entire persona change. You desire to feel what they're feeling, to experience what they've experienced that made them feel so strongly, to share in their excitement. Listening to other people talk about what they're passionate about has to be one of my favorite things in the world. It's magic. It carries unmatchable potential to evoke change. And sometimes words don't do it justice. Sometimes it's all said, it's all revealed, in one split-second through one brief look.

There's one look I will never forget. A few months ago I stood behind a stand-up net observing a training that was taking place under the lights in absolutely lovely weather. A ball came screaming towards the keeper and he swiftly directed it away with his strong hands. As his eyes followed the path of the ball that traveled far past the net, they met mine for a brief moment that made time stop. His crystal blue eyes radiated passion in the purest form. His eyebrows fastened oh so slightly downward and his icy eyes stared dead ahead and through me. I was never meant to be on the other end, but I'm so glad that chance played out in my favor. It was as if his whole life was preparation for that one save that was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. It was a look I imagine he gives after every incredible save he makes. He owns that 18. I never imagined so much could be captured in one facial expression, in one brief connection of eyes. I saw in him an unmatched passion through a look I will never forget because passion moves me and I had never seen it so pure.

Passion has the ability to change the world. Sure, the necessities of going to work and school and practice are going to remain everpresent. Those things are what make the world go round, but passion is what makes it bloom. Passion is the spark of innovation and creation. What would life be if no one was passionate about something? Emotion would be meaningless. Music would be heard not felt. Soccer games would be nothing more than a sport to pass the time, in comparison to a sure form of religion for some. Teachers would show up at 7:00 and leave at 3:00 and nothing would ever get accomplished. There would be no swooning poetry or flags atop Mt. Everest. The planet would be green but humanity would be grey and dull. Opportunity and hard work water the seeds of your dreams, but passion, passion is what makes them bloom. Don't be afraid to add some color to the human race. Don't be afraid to pursue your dreams and follow them to the ends of the earth because that is what you are passionate about. Dare not to settle. Dare to be passionate because Passion is Key.