Understanding Passion: through the story of a Cycling enthusiast...

“It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind." – T.S. Elliot.”

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It was a late evening return flight from Ahmedabad a fortnight ago. I had just rested in my aisle seat when I realized, I had to get up gain. My co-passenger in the middle seat was trying to fit in two of his large bags in the overhead bin before resting down. The bin was already stuffed. His chance of success looked remote but somehow, he persevered smilingly and bingo! Here was he with both his suitcases comfortably tucked in. He gave a winning smile and told me ‘look, where there is will, there is way’.

It was a very common expression but it resonated in my thoughts. Yes, “where there is will, there is a way”. And it’s not a cliche. It’s the only secret behind the biggest success stories that you see around. Whether it’s the story of man reaching moon, or climbing mount Everest or erecting the tallest buildings on the earth or having created a train network 150 feet below the earth surface more than 150 years ago (‘The Tube’ in London which I visited last month). It all begins with a will which is supported by passion.

My train of thoughts was interrupted by the take-off announcement from cabin crew. I struck conversation with the co-passenger and exchanged a few words and then few more. By the time I was in Pune, I had got the theme of my next share. The theme of Passion.

He turned out to be a professional marathoner. He clocks a full/half marathon on a weekend and at least a 10 KM on a week day. Chances are, if you visit Pune University (an ideal green location for people to run and bicycle in the city of Pune, and I think every city has one such place and many, like Pune, have many such places around), you may notice him along with his trainer who is a 16-times ‘Iron man’. To become an 'Iron man', you need to be fit enough to complete 3.5 KMs of swimming, 186 KMs of cycling and 42 KMs of marathon, all in one go.

Coming to my co-flier, he loves Cycling as well. His passion for a tiny seat above a few steel pipes in triangular arrangement wheel-paddled by human will power and muscle strength took him for that perfect ride over the picturesque 500 KMs from Manali to Leh.

“It’s not easy”, he told me, “As you get 30 KMs of non-stop climb and then, say, 50 KMs of non-stop descent. Regular cycles will fail and you need a specially designed bicycle”.

Necessity is the mother of invention. He started studying the requirements of a bicycle for a journey as extra ordinary as he was to undertake. He designed and built his own bicycle.

He imported various components from different countries, a shock-absorber from one country and gear arrangement from another, a set of chains from one sub-continent and a special set of pedals from another (through www.amazon.com). It went on and one before he assembled them using YouTube videos. Frankly, it was my first awakening to this side of YouTube. It can be used for such a niche and precise requirement also!

A regular Bicycle shop will keep bikes for regular use but for creating a unique experience, one must think out of box and create every component on his own. Example: the engineering and design work having gone into the making of Burj Khalifa, are specific to this building as normal designs will create only regular buildings and not a building as iconic as this.

Similarly, a special biking experience will need specific thinking and arrangement. But it’s impossible to create such an experience and go such a distance if it were not for passion.

‘Passion’ is a word so excessively used and almost always blindingly paired with work, that if you actually ask people around, you find that not everyone really gets what passion is. At the root of it all, it points to that strong and almost uncontrollable emotion you have inside of you, for someone, or something. And anyone who has ever succeeded in making a name for themselves would probably state their passion for the work / craft / music / industry as a reason for their success, but do you know yours?

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It brings us to the discussion of passion. The simplest meaning of passion which I can think is, “Passion is something we can do every hour, hour after hour - and for days altogether - without feeling tired or feeling fragile”.

And a few points are as follows:

Passion and hobby are different: When you do what you love to do at a moderate level, you can call it a hobby. It could be painting, cooking, gardening, singing in casual forums or writing when you get time. But when you go all the distance for it, experiment with new recipes to the extent that you can write a book on breakthrough recipes, to the point that someone (of course one who does know what passion is) deems you a step short from crazy, that’s passion for you. The best of books written, the best of songs sung or the best of movies made were a result of passion. It’s different from hobby. Designing and assembling a bike on your own to fulfill your desire to go cycling all the way in Himalayan terrains, to me, is also a great example of passion. In the 2004 movie, ‘National Treasure’, treasure hunter Benjamin Gates asks his sidekick, Riley, “We don’t need someone crazy. But one step short of crazy, what do you get?”. ‘Obsessed’, Riley says. “No, it’s Passionate.” Pat comes the reply.

Passion makes you happy: If you are passionate about a project or work, it becomes a part of your heart and soul. You live it and remain restless unless you achieve it. Your love for it makes you forget all the pains you face on the way. You are passionate about mountaineering and you have a sprained leg. So what? You will still go for it again and do all that is possible to have a stronger physique so that you do not have a sprained leg again. If you are a writer and are working on your project, so what if it makes you lose sleep in the night. You still go for it and enjoy the experience of writing while cutting on your sleep. All you dream of is the book that you want to see getting published shortly.

Passion gets you absorbed: Passionate people are fully submerged in the project or work they are passionate about. They may work extra and sacrifice parties and social events as they might be fully consumed by the passion. They may be frustrated at times as they may want perfection at their work. Passion makes you love and hate at the same time. Love your work and hate any sub-optimal resource or output. Others may not be able to appreciate it. But this is how very little % of people create something which world remembers them for.

You can’t stop it: People say that it isn't good to bring work home. However, for the most passionate, work is home. It's not possible for these individuals not to bring their work home because their work is in them and reflects in everything they have and do. But it doesn't feel like work to them. It feels like life. It’s always there in their heart and up there at the back of their mind. They can’t switch it off or tone it down. And they won’t stop until they have let it all out or satisfy craving – be it to draw the next masterpiece, or to write the breakthrough novel, or to redefine your industry.

At least one thing that everyone could agree on about passion is that it is closely associated with unbound energy, drive, enthusiasm, motivation, the push, etc. Passion can be transformed into raw enthusiasm which is then processed into an internal drive that keeps you going.

Passionate people are almost always ambitious. They want to have a say in the field that they love. They read about it, study it, embrace it and never escape from it. It is a gift and a curse. And I don’t think everyone has it.

“Get a steady job, have a regular family, buy a car, pay your bills, sign checks, manage accounts.” It’s all fine and it’s necessary to have a steady income to pursue your dreams but I don’t believe it when people say, “I am passionate about my work”. Are you working for the money or for what you love? It’s a fine line between the two, but to be technical about it, it’s still a line. Unless you are doing something you love, chances of you creating something of epic proportions or something which will leave a legacy is remote.

Be it assembling a bicycle or conquering a mountain or writing a book or playing sports. Follow your passion and see the exhilarating and thrilling difference you make to your life, and to the world around you.

And you will find a way to assemble your own vehicle for pursuing your passion. Come what may. Like my co-flier did.