Some time ago I asked you a question: What else do you do?
Things what you do other than your day job, things that you do without being pushed by someone else are the things that matters. These things make the difference.
So what else do you do?
I thought that this question was the million dollar question - the question that could change your life for ever. It turns out that I was wrong.
In the article typical persons are all around I wrote:
There is another very strange thing that I have noted. We know that people are motivated by different things. For example great stories motivate us. Great movies motivate us. Great speeches inspires us to do things great. Great books give us bigger dreams. Then came the strange feeling to me. There are some people who never get inspired by anything. At least they do not get inspired by things by which I get inspired. Then came the real shock : Most of the people around me are like this. Typical Persons.
What is the rationale in telling that everyone should get inspiration from what I derive my motivation from? Why should someone get inspired by a book, a speech, a story, a movie, a work or even a proverb? Because these things are exactly meant for that. Every single person reads a great book to get something from that. I strongly believe that this thing is inspiration – the urge to do great things. Great proverbs are meant to make people better. If you don’t feel that urge to be great when you read a great book, watch a great movie or see a great piece of work, you are a typical person. I am sorry.
I was wrong again. Every single person has got a passion for one thing or the other. Some may like reading books, some may like doing business. No one thing can be declared better than the other. So what does make the difference? What makes successful people different from the others? What is the million dollar question?
The million dollar question is not “What are your passions?”
The million dollar question is: “Are you passionate enough?”
Are you interested enough to care? To spend your time? To work hard?
Sure, but only till I go back to sleep.
Most of the time people don’t get inspired but get thrilled and there is were the problem is. I remember that I used to get excited watching the movies but it lasted only for a few hours. I have tried to recreate that excitement later with and without the aid of the movie (same movie) and I noticed that the amount of emotion involved is reducing every time. I felt like I was either achieving an immunity against emotional attacks or I was becoming insensitive as I grow old. The question is not about the ‘excitement’ or ‘thrill’ but about the change that movie or message made to my character and I am sure that it did some change that is good. It is not like I am going to jump out of my seat and start doing something about it but, when the time comes, for me to do something, for me to decide on something crucial, this change will help me decide better and do the right thing…
Faiz,
Wow. Thanks for sharing. I am delighted to have your comment here!!!
You should check out the book “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell. A staff writer for The New Yorker. This book does a good of job decoding some myths realted to success.
Malcom’s TED speech is good too.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html