We all have days, sometimes weeks, months even years when our enthusiasm and love for life is not as high as we want it to be. Don’t we?
We all suffer bouts of ‘passion depletion’.
In my world ‘passion’ is not just about enthusiasm, love and enjoyment. It is also a measure of suffering – as in ‘the passion of Christ’.
It is a measure of how much suffering we are prepared to put up with to pursue that which we love. It is linked to the question ‘Are you willing to pay the price for the success that you desire?’ What will you put up with, put at risk in order to pursue your dream? How many hours of practice, research, writing, planning and thinking?
In this formulation ‘passion depletion’ (now meaning a reduction in the amount of suffering you are prepared to put up with in order to pursue your goals) is a sign that you are falling out of love with your original goal. Perhaps there is something else that you would rather suffer for?
It maybe a very positive sign that ‘new doors’ are opening.
I know that this formulation about suffering is not popular, but for me it does reflect more of the truth of day to day life and professional and private practice. It provides me with a useful benchmark against which to gauge my life choices.
When some of your team seem to have ‘passion depletion’ it might be telling you, and them, something important.
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