The traditional custom of ‘Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ was broken when the 2011 World Championship of Public Speaking was webcast live (for the first time ever) from Las Vegas, across the earth. One of the contestants, Kwong Yue Yang of China (Second Place Winner), struck a chord in me with his speech, “Fortune Cookie”, in which he talked about discovering our passions by ourselves rather than aping successful people. Kwong, having received millions of free advice from many, got the best advice ever from a fortune cookie: a piece of paper with nothing written on it. The theme being: one has to discover oneself and not ape someone. The movie, Kungfu Panda revolves around the same theme. And, last but not the least, my favorite movie, “3 idiots” conveys just that.
Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. – Oprah Winfrey
Well said. It is something that gives you a high and keeps you ticking. Even until a few years back, I remember moments in my life when I had felt empty with no excitement although it was weekend or I had nothing to worry about. The moment deserved excitement, but it was empty. Then, I never understood that emptiness and I had always wondered why. Thanks to one of my best friends who turned my life around by helping me discover my passions (blogging, marathon) and my life has never been the same again since then. No matter how bad the circumstance is, I know exactly which string to be pulled to get my spirits high. I travel to my world of passions to experience the “high” that fills the emptiness and the excitement emits so much energy that you become restless which lands me in another dilemma: from emptiness to excitement, you want to do so many things but wonder where to start.
On my recent trip to my native village in India, I came across a few enchanting people who have escaped the corporate rat race, have been blessed with flexible work times, don’t have to commute in a bumper-to-bumper traffic every day and lead an organic lifestyle (pretty much). The best part of it all is that they do not work rather they do what excites them the most: their passions. These fascinating people who have chosen their passions as their professions - Sea farers, teachers, businessmen, businesswomen, musicians, social workers, and teachers – lead an envious life and the excitement is written all over their faces anytime you meet them. One thing that they all have in common is their unshakeable conviction and positive attitude towards life.
It’s incredible!!
In the movie, “Serendipity”, John Cussack’s buddy says to him, "The Greeks didn’t write obituaries. They only asked one question after a man died: Did he have passion?" True or not, it is a powerful statement that intrigues anyone.
