What is Your Passion ?

By Big Rocks

“So, what’s your passion?”  I like to ask this question but the response I usually get is a blank stare.  Unfortunately, we live in a society of people who like to watch but not participate.  We have become a nation of individuals who exist vicariously by getting our thrills from television reality shows.  How sad.

A couple of weeks ago I had dinner with a guy who loves to teach and has an intense interest in world politics.  The neat thing about this guy is he was 80 years old.  His eyes lit up with energy and enthusiasm when he talked about his burning interests.  Now, I am all for education and I do care about the world but these are not my passions.  What drives you and I can be entirely different but what I look for in another is burning desire to achieve. 

If you have been around multi-sport for a number of years it might be difficult maintaining the zeal you once had as a newbie.  It is easy to become jaded since you think you probably have seen and done it all during your career.  We all need to regularly step back and reassess where we are in regard to our lives.  Maybe we are stuck in the proverbial rut and need a bigger or different goal.  It is not easy to maintain high enthusiasm over the long haul and that is why we need help in the way of goals, different challenges, or sometimes just a little time off to think about our direction.

When you began training years ago, you could not wait to ride or run.  You constantly thought and talked about triathlon.  Has the training become more of a job than an adventure?  These are signs of burnout and should be addressed.  It amazes me to see athletes not only doing the same training routes everyday but entering the same races every year and producing about the same results.
Passion is the flame that fires up the engine.  Enthusiasm creates the spark.  We need to keep the passion going in all of our lives – all lifelong.   Next time you are with kids (or grandkids) watch how they attack everything with unabashed glee.  We can learn a lot from kids.  We need to find the kid inside us and learn how to play again.

I know it is a cliché but life truly is too short to waste it on rote routines.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Try something different and challenging.  Try taking the focus off of yourself and do something for others.  Get in touch with your child again.  Learn something new.  Before long you will be able to bring that new enthusiasm to your sport and help make your goals more doable.

To quote from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – “It’s never too late to be whatever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again”.
Then maybe I can ask you “What is YOUR passion?” and see that gleam in your eye.

Good luck and safe training!

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