“The only thing you have a shot at being worldclass is your passion!” -Bill Gates
We all have a shot at greatness in life, we can all live the life of our dreams and be truely successful, but it has to be in an area where we are extremely passionate. “Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion” – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. You need to find your passion and pursue it or follow your dreams with passion!
Once upon a time there was a young warrior who desired to be successful. His desire was not just a mere wish, so he decided to go on a search. He enquired from city to city for the secret of success, but he never got answer strong enough to quench his thirst. All the people he met gave him their best, but told him that there was a village very far away, where an old sage lived. They were all unanimous in believing that this old man, had what it took to give him his ultimate answer!
After a long fruitless soujorn, this young warrior decided to set himself on a long journey of finding the old sage, to whose mouth reputation accrued wisdom. It was a very long walk! After getting to this town, he asked the villagers for the whereabouts of the old sage. He was duely informed that the old sage lived on top of the mountain. They warned him to be careful of the old man though, as the villages felt it required some level of insanity to be comfortable alone.
The young man gave himself no rest, immediately he began to ascend the mountain, he had to know the secret of success, he had not come this far to relax, it was fight to finish. After what seemed like hours, he arrived on the top of the mountain and sighted a little hut. The old man was in front of the little hut, rocking away on his rocking chair. The young man was exhausted and desired to get back to business quickly.
Young Man: Old man, I have been told in every city I crossed in my search for the secret of success, that the answers lies with you. I have travelled long old man, and I’ll really appreciate if you can bring and end to my search.
Old Man: (Silent)keeps rocking
Young Man: Please old man, please pay attention to me, I want to know the secret of success.
Old Man: (Still silent), stands up from the chair and grabs the young man by his right hand, and pulls him along as he descends the mountain. The young man simply follows, until the old man brings him to a nearby stream, and takes him into the water until his heel is fully covered. Then he takes him some more until the water reached his knee, and more until his waist, then his head, and more until he is totally immersed in water. He keeps him under water for about 30 seconds, and then gradually takes him out the way they both came, until they reach the top of the mountain. The Old man reclines his rocking chair, closes his eyes, and rocks away!
Young Man: Gasping for breath and breathing fast…Old man, what is all this, I came here to ask you for a secret, why are you wasting my time, energy and youth!
Old Man: Sorry young man, when I took you into the water, and you were fully submerged, what did you feel like doing?
Young Man: I felt desperate for breathe, and I would have thrown your hands to the high evens, pushed you or done anything to breathe.
Old Man: Hmmm…on the day you feel like that, exactly like you felt when I held you down in the water, about anything, you have found the secret of success!!!
“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”— Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch
If you ignite your passion, the world will love to watch you burn. Great dancers are not great because of their techniques, they are great because of their passions. Find that place where you have passion, pursue your dreams with it, and you’ll soon be a spectacle. Your mind does not concieve impossibilities in the line of your passion, you are willing to work hard, go the extra mile, pay the price, not because you are are under any pressures, but because you have a passion for what you are doing!
“When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.”
