OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 320 2nd August 2018 | Page 6

OMG Digital Magazine | 320 | Thursday 2 August 2018 • PAGE 6
SoulFood
What It Means To Have Passion
Braden Thompson
I like to use the word passion interchangeably with words
like determination, conviction, and love. Passion is a strong
desire that can get you to do amazing things. Passion is
an emotion to be acted upon. Without action, passion
yields no worthwhile results. Passion is the fuel in the fire
of action. When you have passion for something, you love
it even when you hate it. So how do you recognize your
passion, and how do you put it to good use?
A desire fueled by passion will bring
about the greatest results in life.
I like to skateboard, but I don’t have the determination
to push myself through broken bones and hospital visits.
That’s why I’m not as good as I could be. I don’t have a
passion for it. Passion can push you through difficult times
because you don’t care what it takes to become better. We
all have the ability to create whatever kind of life we want.
The secret to living the dream is hidden in our passions
and what we do because of them.
What if you don’t know exactly what
you are passionate about?
Finding what you are passionate about is a journey in
itself. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t feel like you know
yet. Keep trying new things. It will come even if you have
to build it. If you find your passion, or find yourself hot on
its trail, don’t give it up.
What if you know what you have a
passion for but you don’t do anything
about it?
This is the main problem with passion. You can have all
the passion in the world for something but if you never
do anything about it, that passion is useless. Maybe you
work a good job that pays all the bills but it doesn’t allow
you to truly follow your passion. You’re afraid of what will
happen if you change things up. Yes, change is scary, but
it’s not until we leave our comfort zone that we find what
we’ve been missing out on. You’re the author of your
life. Don’t settle for the bare minimum just because it’s
working out right now.
You will never know what you’re truly
capable of unless you push yourself.
Find your passion. Push your limits. Live your life happy.
Even when you pursue your passion, you will find yourself
tripped up by failures and other obstacles. You can’t let
that get to you. It happens to everyone on the path of
following their passion. My man Abe Lincoln had a strong
passion for building a great country. You think he let a few
failures stop him from that? Don’t let obstacles get you
down.
You have passion for the people you
love.
This idea of passion also applies to people. Don’t fall into
the common trap of thinking you love someone and not
doing anything about it. Ask yourself, is giving up my
pride worth it to maintain a relationship? What about
being unselfish and sacrificing your time or comfort? If
you can’t do that, it’s probably not real love, or you need
to start making changes.
Often, I think we need to remind ourselves who we love
and act accordingly. It’s easy to let family relationships
weaken because of pride. Of course you say you love your
family, but when your brother is in the school play, and
you hate plays, do you go?
The same applies to intimate relationships. Do you only
love them when it’s easy? Real love takes sacrifice and
work. You push through the difficult times because
you love them and you understand that every passion
pursued will have bumps in the road. Unfortunately,
many people don’t understand what it means to have
passion for someone. This is why divorce rates are so high
and families are often torn apart by hurt feelings and
unnecessary drama.
Following any passion takes vulnerability and work. But I
promise in the end, the outcome of such efforts will be the
most fulfilling to your life.
Let me know what you think. I don’t claim to know
everything. I’d love to have a conversation about your
thoughts on passion. Leave a comment below!