The single most attractive feature in a person is passion.

You will always feel an attraction to somebody who knows what they believe in and why they believe in it. Too many people claim to believe in something yet when asked to defend their stance, when asked why they have no answer. Because they were raised to believe it, because they think they believe it, because they want to believe it.

Weak.

There are a lot of things that are being lost in our culture. Things we no longer teach or accept. Passion is slowly drifting further and further away from being a primary emotion of human nature. It is becoming a concept, an abstract. Something that people hear and imagine yet never feel. Passion is being framed as a thing of luxury that the rich and lucky get to feel. Us blue collar folk don’t get to be passionate, we have to have grit! I’m here to tell you that a life lived without passion is a life not lived. There are few things that separate us from the monkeys. We, as humans, have the ability to reason and believe. We are capable of complex emotions and metaphysical thought. Our ability to communicate transcends words and pictures and breaches the realm of pure energy. A complex sensation that no animal other than our own kind can experience is passion.

Passion is not a luxury. It is a requirement.

So what the f*ck are you passionate about!?

The odds are that you don’t know. Not yet, at least. Unfortunately the statistics show that your parents more than likely lived a life in which they pursued a career they were not passionate about. And if your parents, who serve as your primary role models for many years don’t know what it means to be passionate then they will be incapable of instilling that passion in you. I was lucky enough to have two wonderful parents who always encouraged me to follow my passions. They also pushed me towards action when I was being a wishy washy turd, because they knew how cultivating passion worked. They knew I had to experience it on my own, but it was not a passive process. For that, I thank them. I found what I was not passionate about first in order to be open to what I was.

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It doesn’t have to be a career where you experience your passion, that is just the ideal situation. But remember, you are the things that you do and think. If a person spends 8 hours a day doing something they aren’t passionate about it is highly likely that all passion within that person will start to fade. This is why every successful entrepreneur will tell you that step one is to be passionate about what you do. If you are able to do that then you don’t need a 9 to 5 because you won’t want to limit yourself to 8 hours.

If you find yourself to be lucky enough to know your passion then hold onto it. If you know your passion and you made a career of it then you should wake up every day overflowing with gratitude. You made that life happen through hard work and loyalty to yourself; it was obviously not a thing of luck. But you are lucky to have had that opportunity for such hard work. Most people go their whole lives without experiencing true soul rattling passion.

For that you are lucky. As am I.

So what does passion feel like?

Passion is not going to the gym for an hour every day. Passion is not being super into a new hobby. Passion should not be confused with enjoyment.

True passion is an earth shattering, stomach turning desire to continue on a path despite all logic or reason. Passion is a gravitational pull towards a higher calling, something bigger than yourself. Passion does not tell you what to do, it shows you an end goal. An ideal life that you know and feel with every cell in your body. That this is the life you want and need to live. Passion is energy.

It is both knowing and feeling. It is mind, body, and soul rooted behind one cause. Passion goes nowhere, it is unshakeable.

If you have experienced this then you will know it. You cannot mistake the feeling for anything else.

How do I find my passion?

Since passion is enduring; it will always be there. Here’s how you find out if what you think you are passionate about is what you are truly passionate about.

1. Pick something

Passion = action. It will not find you, you must find it. I believe you can feel this passion towards a many actions if those actions are all taking you to the same destination. It’s the progress towards an end goal that drives you. You can be passionate about picking up trash on the side of the road if it is pushing you towards being the person you want to be. So think about who, where, and what you want your life to be then pick a route and get moving. Right now. Actually, yesterday would have been better.

2. Live balls first

Once you pick something you have to go for it. No half-assed effort. Do the thing you chose, 24/7 non-stop obsessive compulsively for as long as it takes. Eat, breathe, and sleep it. Read the books, do the homework, spend the time. Pure unhealthy obsession. If after 6 months you still feel this deep drive to continue, despite minimal return, you have experienced the first inkling of passion’s draw. If you find yourself wanting to veer, go easy on yourself, take a day off, take a vacation because you've earned it; this is not the path for you. You must be able to absorb this thing into your very fabric of existence and still want more. Crave more. Anything less and you need to change course.

Living balls first is an expression that means you are going to dive into whatever is in front of you with your valuables exposed. Nothing held back. No 10% effort expecting 100% return bullshit. Balls first means that if you start something and stop short then you are losing your gnads. If you would like to keep those then you better go for it or stay home.

3. Stay the course

Passion means you aren’t afraid of trials. You don’t need to have recognition to continue doing what you are doing. You would continue to live your life if you were the only person on earth and you had to hand crank a generator for an hour in order to get 10 minutes of work time. If you find something you would sacrifice your arm and leg for then why would you stop doing it after a year, two, or twenty? Who cares if other people recognize it or you. Other people aren’t passionate. Why do you need their stamp of approval? Stay the course.

4. If you can, monetize.

You may be passionate, but you still need to make a living and provide for others. Until you can make your passion a career you need to be passionate and grind in the other 18 hours of the day. Give up 8 so that you may live a life that doesn’t put unnecessary strain on your family and yourself.

But listen to me. The MOMENT. The freakin’ INSTANT you see an opportunity, drop that regular people job stuff and go for it. Even if it means you have to give up your standard of living and operate out of a cardboard box for a year, go after the opportunity. Follow potential; not guaranteed return. Despite how ass backwards that is.

Work the moonlight to create the potential for an opportunity to capitalize on your passion and chase that opportunity down like it’s dinner. Because it is.

5. Help others find theirs

Because we are all one. We are here together and it is your duty. A selfish passion isn’t true.

T