Talking About Passion
This summer in Ireland I discovered my passion. The whole thing started with a light backpack, a traveller’s guide and a ticket for a local coach. When in Ireland, I enjoy travelling by coach — partly because the tickets are cheap, but mostly due to the camaraderie and freewheeling conversations among backpackers on these old busses… And it’s only a matter of starting up a chat and then seeing where it might take you… And believe me; it is never too difficult to start.
Already at a coach stop I noticed a girl carrying a big cello case. So when she ended up sitting next to me on the way to Galway, I couldn’t help asking her.
- “That’s a cello, isn't it?”
- “Indeed! I’m visiting my family. And we are a family of musicians, so showing up without your instrument is a big no-no. Anyway I couldn’t leave my cello behind. Playing it means everything to me.”
- “So music is your passion in life?”
- “Yes! My father always jokes that I learned to sing before I learned to talk, and the cello has been my favourite instrument since I was a kid…”
- “I guess that’s the true traits of a passion; you love it, you are good at it, and you have been good at it for a very long time.”
- “Yeah. Everybody can fancy playing an instrument, but you have to be passionate about it to keep challenging yourself, and continue practicing when things start to get tough. Do you have a passion too?”
- “I don’t know. I have never thought about it…”
- “Come on! What did you enjoy when you were a kid?”
- “Well, I fondly remember building a hut, and another time we created a raft for sailing on a lake, and then I tried to build a robot of a cardboard box and an old engine… Later, I enjoyed playing the guitar, composing songs and writing poetry. But now I more enjoy designing software and writing essays.”
- “Ah, so your passion is making new things?”
- “Yeah, I guess that’s right! I have always liked the process of creating something. Getting an idea and turning it into reality… Are you good with the cello?”
- “Many people say so. But I’m simply enjoying it because it comes to me so naturally… For instance, I do not think of myself as exceptionally talented — I’m just puzzled why others may find playing the cello difficult. Perhaps every creative soul feels more or less the same way… But over the years I have learnt that you should pay extra attention to what other people are saying as what is obvious to them may be hidden from yourself.”
- “Yeah. It is great when others give feedback to what you are doing and in this way help you find your true passion. But you can also try to test it yourself: if you observe that the time is starts to fly when you are engaging in some activity, and you enjoy doing it so much that you find it really difficult to stop again, then you have found your passion.”
- “Oh, I know it so well… Yesterday, it was one of those rare sunshine days in Ireland, so I took the cello to the street in the morning to play a little, and then the time just disappeared and suddenly the evening was there. And I actually intended to use the day to pack my backpack, so now instead I’m travelling with a rather light luggage…”
Shortly after, the coach stopped and she departed with her cello. But I’ll always remember that a true passion is something you have been good at for a long time, but still feel that the time just flies when you are doing it.
Just before stepping off the coach, she turned around and said:
- “By the way, I’m Amy.”
- “Ken," I answered. "Nice to meet you, Amy.”
Have you ever thought about what is your true passion in life?
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Notes:
This essay is featured in Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #9 – 2011 Nov 30.