Column: Passion

I think I have a disease. You may have it too. The reason I think I have it is because a normal person wouldn’t go through the insane range of emotions I do over one thing. My thing is horses. They make me want to rip my hair out one moment and burst with joy the next. I get so sick of them and never want to see another one again, then 20 minutes later I am pining to get back in the saddle. It drives me nuts! Your thing may be sports, cars, cooking, decorating, anything. And chances are, at least once in your life, you’ll get the passion disease.Anything can cause the disease. Maybe you’ve had it all your life, like me. I know because I still have the billion horse toys I collected growing up. My mom still tells stories of me climbing into horse pens since I was 2 years old. Or maybe you just got the disease. Maybe you found something you truly love doing and can get excited about. Suggestions from friends or family can cause the disease, or you can find something on your own that causes it. Either way, the symptoms are the same.You’ll first feel jitters and butterflies when you think about whatever it is you’re passionate about. Later, you may experience heart palpitations, sweating, and like I said  before, mood swings. The disease will cause you to work night and day for it, think about it 24/7, and even dream about it. You’ll become obsessed.There are good symptoms as well. If you work with the disease instead of against it, you can be quite successful. You see, most all people that are good at their job or their hobby have the disease. You’re less likely to put all your effort into your work and be enthusiastic and creative if you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing. We’ve all seen the seemingly-crazy person who is really excited about something and later becomes really good at it. All it takes is contracting the disease.

There is no known cure for the disease. The only treatment is to keep doing whatever it is you’re passionate about, and that will pacify the symptoms from flaring up. The disease may come and go, but if you nourish the disease, you’ll have it forever. And that may turn into the biggest blessing of your life.

My disease was almost “cured” many times. I got discouragement from people and almost stopped riding and teaching and started a new career. I got frustrated with trying to start my own business and make it. But luckily the disease was just lying dormant and came back in full strength. Because now I have a job I absolutely love doing and am passionate about, and that has made my business more successful than any marketing scheme I’ve tried.

What is your disease and how do you treat the symptoms?