16 Apr Answer to the question: passion or priorities?
People who have passion but lack priorities are like individuals who find themselves in a lonely log cabin deep in the woods on a cold snowy night and then light a bunch of small candles and place them all around the room. They don’t create enough light to help them see, nor do they produce enough heat to keep them warm. At best, they merely make the room seem a bit more cheerful. On the other hand, people who possess priorities but no passion are like those who stack wood in the fireplace of that same cold cabin but never light the fire. But people who have passion with priorities are like those who stack the wood, light the fire, and enjoy the light and heat that it produces.
Once I realized that my talent would be maximized and my potential realized only if I matched my passion with my priorities. I was spending too much of my time doing tasks for which I possessed neither talent nor passion. I had to make a change— to align what I felt strongly about with what I was doing. It made a huge difference in my life. It didn’t eliminate my troubles or remove my obstacles, but it empowered me to face them with greater energy and enthusiasm. For more than thirty years, I have worked to maintain that alignment of priorities and passion. And as I have, I’ve kept in mind this quote by journalist Tim Redmond, which I put in a prominent place for a year to keep me on track: “There are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a few that catch my heart. It is those I consider to pursue.”
Talent Is Never Enough
John Maxwell