I love books. Leadership books, biographies, personal-growth books, you name it. There was a time I had a subscription that gave me access to more books than I could possibly read or listen to.
For somebody who loves learning, that sounds like a pretty good deal. And for a while, it was.
Then I began to notice something about myself. There was always another book to finish before I started the project. Another expert to listen to before I made the decision. Another idea to study before I put the last ten ideas into practice.
I was learning an awful lot about things I cared about. I wasn’t always doing very much about them.
So I canceled the subscription.
Not because reading is bad. I still love learning. I canceled it because I had reached a point where one more book wasn’t what I needed. I needed to act on what I already knew.
That experience taught me something important about passion. It’s one thing to care about something. It’s another thing to care enough to do the work.
What keeps pulling at your attention?
When I ask people what they’re passionate about, I sometimes get a blank stare. They think I’m asking them to identify one great mission that will explain the rest of their lives.
That’s a lot of pressure to put on one question. I don’t think you have to start there.
Instead, pay attention to what keeps getting your attention. What do you enjoy learning about? What problems do you notice that other people seem to overlook? When you hear somebody tell a story, what makes you lean forward and start asking questions?
For me, the common thread has been helping people grow. I like seeing somebody realize that they’re capable of more than they thought. I’ve seen that happen in coaching, teaching, leadership training, and ministry. Those roles are different, but I keep coming back to the same desire.
You may care about something completely different. It might be children learning to read, helping families become financially stable, building a business that treats customers well, creating things, improving your neighborhood, or making sure an older person isn’t forgotten.
Don’t dismiss something because it doesn’t sound impressive. The question isn’t whether it would make an exciting social media post. The question is whether it matters enough that you’re willing to invest part of your life in it.
You have to have a want to
When I was twenty, I worked as a plumber’s apprentice. I had an older coworker named Steve, whom we called Crazy Steve. He asked me to find a small copper fitting in a big job box full of tools and equipment.
I did what any highly motivated twenty-year-old might do. I walked over to the box, moved a couple of things around, didn’t see the fitting, and announced that we didn’t have it. I figured somebody could just bring us another one.
Steve wasn’t impressed.
He marched down the hallway, opened the box, started throwing tools and bags out of the way, and eventually pulled out the exact fitting I’d said wasn’t there. Then he held it up and gave me a lesson I’ve never forgotten: “You’ve got to have a want to.”
He was right. I hadn’t really searched for that fitting. I’d gone through the motions of searching for it.
I think about that when I hear people say they want to accomplish something but can’t seem to get started. Sometimes we lack information or resources. Sometimes the timing genuinely isn’t right. But sometimes we already know enough to take the first step, and what we’re missing is the willingness to do it.
That lesson applies to passion too. Passion isn’t proven by how excited you sound. It’s tested by what you’re willing to do when the work is inconvenient.
Find the connection between passion and action
I teach a simple approach to focus. Find what matters most. Give it your best attention. Consider what’s holding you back. Untie yourself from distractions. Then commit to the work.
That doesn’t mean you should turn every interest into a career. I enjoy learning about plenty of things that will never become my profession. It means you should be honest about the difference between something that entertains you and something you feel called to contribute to.
Here’s an exercise I want you to try. For the next seven days, write down one thing each day that caught your attention and one thing that gave you energy. Then ask yourself which of those things you’ve actually been willing to make time for.
At the end of the week, look for a pattern. Choose one concern that keeps showing up, and give it one hour of deliberate action. Not an hour of scrolling, researching, or waiting for inspiration. An hour of doing. Volunteer. Make the call. Write the first page. Help somebody. See what you learn.
You may find out the passion isn’t as strong as you thought. That’s useful information. Or you may discover that the thing you’ve been thinking about for years deserves more of your attention.
I still believe in learning. I just don’t want learning to become a substitute for living.
What do you care about enough to do something about this week?
If you want to put this into practice, my free Strategic Life Plan will walk you through it. If you’re new here, you can read why I do this work.
Best regards,
Drew
