Why being passionate allows you to go beyond.

During Easter, the much expected film adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Ernest Cline “Ready Player One” was released, so I had to prioritise it in my reading list. I’m not going to go on about how the film differs enormously from the book, my view on a dystopian future of Earth living in VR or the dozens of geeky pop culture references. Though Gundam and Monty Python appearances made my week.

There’s something about the story that’s profoundly inspiring: how passionate the protagonist is about pop culture, the VR world and gaining knowledge about its creator. If there’s one way to get good at something, it’s to dive deep into that subject. And by deep I mean pretty much going down a rabbit hole where that topic is pretty much what you breathe 24/7.

Are you into cooking, software development, fashion or working out? Perhaps photography or filmmaking? Regardless of the craft or subject, there are countless ways for you surround your lifestyle with ways to develop yourself beyond your job or what you learned in university.

A few more questions to ask yourself: Do you know who were the pioneers of the craft? Who’s big and which upcoming projects are hot in the community right now? Do you know there’s a community? Any local meet up groups in your city? Is there an online forum or Slack channel? Do you meet up with people regularly who are also obsessed about that topic? What are the most respected books on the matter?

It’s also about putting it into action. Going into the nitty gritty of the craft. Getting your hands dirty. Maybe working on a side project or a blog. Most importantly, it’s feeling immensely excited when that topic is even mentioned. One that you have a huge curiosity to learn more about. One that makes your blood go warm.

So why is being passionate important? Passion allows you to go beyond what’s handed to you on a silver plate. As humans we’re motivated by emotion.

Doing something on a regular basis that makes our heart race means that we don’t depend on external factors to feel those emotions. You don’t expect anything back, you just feel hugely proud of what you do. That sense of satisfaction is priceless.