It’s Passion, Passion, and Passion

As someone who was stuck for years doing something I disliked, the one thing I will never compromise again is passion. Back then, I didn’t even know what it meant to be passionate about something. I don’t enjoy doing anything I’m not good at. And I’m not good at things I don’t enjoy doing. So, when I was failing miserably at engineering, the answer to which caused which eluded me.

At the time, finding the answer was futile, because at the end of the day, the truth was that I was failing miserably. Working hard didn’t change things, no matter the effort. And finding motivation was an act of despair. But I had a hobby. I ran to writing every time things got overwhelming. I made it represent everything engineering didn’t. Free, natural, and fun. It was as much those things as engineering wasn’t. I might not have had the answer back then, but I surely wrote it down.

And, might I add, not well. I was good for someone who was just well educated, better than most, but I wasn’t as talented as I had believed.  So, I got better. I put in the work, and I did it so willingly. The more I learned the more I realized just long the road ahead of me was. But it didn’t discourage me, it was still free, natural, and fun.

In the beginning, I pursued writing because I simply enjoyed it. But as I learned more about myself, it made sense to be pursuing it. Everything about me kept leading to writing. The things it gave me and the things I wanted to do could all be achieved through it. Writing is expression. It is communication and connection. It is introspection and reflection. Lessons and wisdom. Writing is art and science. It is feelings and thoughts. Sprinting towards a destination and standing still to absorb a moment. It is looking back, living in the moment, and staring at the horizon. The mechanics of my brain work better when I view the world through the lens of a writer. That, to me, is passion.

Proficiency needs hard work, but passion needs a reason. A reason that can overcome any doubt, any fear, and any prison. Something that keeps you believing it’s all worth it. And that’s not something I can find doing anything else. So, yes, it’s passion, passion, and passion, in everything I do.