The Crossroads of Passion and Purpose

What drives a man to get out of bed and face each day with undaunted optimism? What gives a person the consistency to work toward an unrealized goal without immediate reward? Why, when certain leaders speak of ideals and vision, do others lay down their weapons of defensiveness and join in the battle?

This trait cannot be purchased. It has no price because it is not for sale.

What is it? It is passion. Passion motivates and encourages. It pushes, yet at the same time leads. Does is create greatness? It fuels greatness.

Those that possess it find a wealth untold. It gives activity to idleness and purpose to activity. It is a motivating emotion that few find, but many search for. No treasure map or even GPS can locate the source.

But is passion enough? When you arrive at some trivial destination will you be happy? You may, but you will be empty. It is as if you have taken a long journey and are now out of gas. Your passion has fueled new perspectives and new opportunities, but to what end?

Passion without purpose is a dead end.

Purpose helps one realize possibility. It brings direction and reason to change.

Change — for the sake of change — is like running in place and hoping to arrive at some new destination. It is subtle madness. When one has purpose each new step brings new horizons into view. New perspectives become manifest on the landscape of learning through experience.

How does one find purpose? It rarely comes all at once. To many it comes not at all. Why? Not because it can’t be found but because it can be hard to find.

Purpose is found gradually, even like a great snowball slowly growing in speed and size as it rolls toward its destination. Many are not willing to invest in something that won’t come to fruition until later. Great leaders, thinkers, and statesman see purpose come clearly into view after they toil with some great thought over time. They see a need and feel it stir something deep within their soul. Rarely all at once, but little by little they see and understand.

This understanding grows great within the soul, heart, and mind. It permeates actions and objectives. This understanding surpasses knowledge. Its value far exceeds all of worldly possessions. It cannot be sold, but it can be given. But only given to others through leadership, through service, through mentoring, and through teaching.

How rich is the soul that understands why they were born and for what end they were created. It begins with passion and passion finds purpose. And where passion and purpose meet, you have found mission.

Image Credit: cursedthing

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Carl Woolston is a business and marketing consultant with KGaps Consulting, a co-creator of the proprietary marketing methodology “Hub Mentality,”, and a co-founder of The Center for Social Leadership.

His expertise includes network development, marketing, web strategy development, lead creation, and lead capture strategies.

He and his wife Christy are raising their six rambunctious children in Bountiful, Utah.

Connect With Carl:

Email: carl [at] kgaps [dot] com