How To Invite More Fulfilling Passion Into Your Life.

Passion.? What a great word.? Ask around, you’ll get plenty of definitions.? It’s my spouse.? It’s my work.? My hobbies.? A deeper definition, passion is what we’re willing to suffer for.

Passion is an unwavering commitment, whereas entertainment is fleeting.? In March, long after a New Year’s resolution was made, if the goal is still in sight, and the entertainment value has evaporated, passion emerges.? It’s sage advice to distinguish entertainment from passion.? Passionate people are the ones who make a mark in the world.

My pal Ricardo free-flows with passion. His passion for work and helping the world makes him a magnet. The spring in his step is bigger than most. He’s introspective about what makes him so. He’s in hot pursuit of experiences, interesting people, and business opportunities. He’s foregoing toxic people, limiting mindsets, and fuzzy finish lines. He finds so much joy in his work that he can't help blooming with passion. ?

This is not to say there aren’t obstacles.? But Ricardo’s passion accepts those, recognizing them for what they are, lessons. He attempts to diminish resistance, realizing it’s resistance that causes pain.? Accordingly, passionate people stomp resistance, instead seeing steps to the promised land.

How do you propagate more passion in your life?

You watch your own bobber.? You fixate on your bait, attracting the biggest fish into your life. Isn’t it a lot more fun reeling in your own fish?? You can’t enjoy somebody else’s life.? So get obsessed with your own.

Your life is like the Grand Canyon.? You can see it as a gaping hole where stuff falls to its death, where heat exhaustion is a daily threat and exploration is a sweaty struggle.? Or, you can appreciate the incredible glory of its creation, the colors and expanse, its depth and beauty.? Truly, the more immersed you get, the more spectacular it is.? Descending deeper only amplifies your enrichment.

Seeing, touching, feeling, maybe tasting, the Grand Canyon has no substitute.? The trade-offs of the financial burden, getting sweaty, falling risks, and getting wet are puny compared to the joy of the experience. ? Your pals probably won’t tell you about their awesome book about the Grand Canyon, but you cannot shut them up about their visits there.

Passion can’t be gifted or purchased, it’s the result of full immersion.? Splashing around in the shallow end leads to regrets in life.? Diving in the deep end is where transformation happens. It’s where you discover your true strength, face your fears, and uncover the passion driving you to greatness.

A reflection.

Witold Pilecki’s story is one of unparalleled courage and devotion to his country, Poland, during one of history's darkest hours. Born on May 13, 1901, in the Russian-controlled part of Poland, Pilecki grew up in a family steeped in patriotism. He carried this love for his homeland into adulthood, becoming a cavalry officer and later, a key figure in Poland’s underground resistance during World War II. His daring actions would mark him as one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century.

When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Pilecki joined the Polish underground resistance, the Secret Polish Army (Tajna Armia Polska), dedicated to fighting Nazi oppression.

By 1940, the Nazis had begun rounding up Jews and political dissidents, sending them to concentration camps. Among these was Auschwitz, a name that would become synonymous with human suffering.

Horrified by the rumors of atrocities in Auschwitz, Pilecki proposed an audacious plan, he would infiltrate the camp to gather intelligence and organize resistance from within. In September 1940, he deliberately allowed himself to be captured during a Nazi raid in Warsaw, using the pseudonym Tomasz Serafiński. Transported to Auschwitz, he became prisoner number 4859, the only person known to voluntarily enter the camp.

Inside Auschwitz, Pilecki witnessed unimaginable horrors: starvation, torture, and mass executions. Driven by an unyielding passion for his people, he began to organize an underground resistance movement, the Zwi?zek Organizacji Wojskowej (ZOW). Pilecki and his network provided hope to prisoners, smuggled messages to the outside world, and collected evidence of the Nazis’ crimes, risking their lives to ensure the truth was known.

In 1941 and 1942, Pilecki sent detailed reports to the Polish resistance, which were forwarded to the Allies. His accounts were among the first credible evidence of the Holocaust. Despite these warnings, international action to stop the atrocities was slow, leaving Pilecki increasingly frustrated.

By 1943, Pilecki realized his position was becoming untenable. His resistance activities made him a marked man, and the camp’s death toll continued to rise. Determined to fight another day, he orchestrated a daring escape on the night of April 26, 1943, alongside two fellow prisoners. Over the next two months, he journeyed back to Warsaw, evading capture while bringing vital intelligence to the resistance.

Pilecki rejoined the underground fight, participating in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, another act of defiance against Nazi occupation. When the war ended, and Poland fell under Soviet control, Pilecki continued to resist, now targeting communist oppression. In 1947, the communist authorities arrested him on fabricated charges of espionage. After a show trial, he was executed on May 25, 1948.

Despite attempts to erase his legacy, Pilecki’s story endures. His unwavering passion for Poland and its people inspired acts of heroism that defy comprehension. Witold Pilecki remains a symbol of courage, resilience, and selfless sacrifice—a man who risked everything to illuminate the truth and fight for freedom.