Can You Have Passion Without Action?

My loyal readers know that I am passionate about passion everywhere: in life, in business, and at play.?

Fire in the belly.?

All in—always.?

You get the drift.

And writing about passion always strikes a passionate chord with my readers.

Yet...with all the passion that passion evokes, passion without action is sad at best and tragic at worst.?

No matter where on the pathetic scale “passive passion” sits, in our personal lives or the business world, the wasted potential affects way more than is obvious. The opportunity lost can be exponential.?

Keep reading.

You’ve been there. We all have. The meeting, the encounter where tempers flare, sparks fly, ideas rage, expectations soar, and dreams run wild. Then? Nada. Nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch.?

You get the point.

What happened? How did all the energy and potential end up wasted? Where did all the powerful intentions go? Why was the outcome empty of actions?

Think back. Put yourself back into that room or that relationship and ask yourself, (honestly)what did you do? Did you grab the bull by the horns? Did you make yourself accountable? Was the success of it all riding on your back? Or did you feel good that you participated, made your feelings known, then went away feeling a sense of accomplishment?

It’s almost cliché. We’ve all been there. I see it happen all too often. Passion itself becomes the be-all and end-all. Paralysis seems to strike directly based on the complexity and potential failure rate of implementing the plan, dream, or idea.?

People cry out, “It’s not my job!”

Thankfully, not all our encounters end this way, and people’s success proves it. Nevertheless, how much more successful would we be if we could always move forward regardless of the risk, the criticism, or the potential for failure? Imagine instead the potential for accomplishment and triumph being our sole drivers—if only we took accountability.

Somehow I think we all know when we miss the charge—when our heart’s desire in our personal life or our business goal gets left behind because we didn’t grab the ring or put our hand up to own it all; thus, translating our aspirations into action.

“Let’s Go.”

“Yes, lets go.”

Stage Direction: They do not move. — (Last lines of WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett)

We are the stage directors and the playwrights of our own destinies. But, in truth, this attitude separates the winners from the losers and the wannabes.

In our play, yours and mine, the final direction should always be: "They link arms and purposefully exit the stage."

ACCOUNTABILITY makes Passion real and powerful.

What do you think??