: . . there is passion and then there is passion."

 

A thought by Zig Zigler, from his book, Better Than Good (p. 18). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

And that is so true.

Zig says, "Some people have passion that rarely is exercised beyond the bounds of their own experience. They get great satisfaction and enjoyment from that which is their pursuit. But it remains a self-indulgent passion, if you will."

He goes on, "There are others whose passion is to change the world with that which they dream about. Debbie Macomber didn’t just want to write. She wanted to write stories that were wholesome and edifying; stories parents could give their children to read and feel good about; stories that would remind older readers of the classic fiction of past generations. In other words, she wanted to use her passion to write to make a contribution to families just like her own. So that’s what she did. She wrote and wrote, mailed off proposal after proposal, weathered rejection after rejection . . . until finally she got published. And tens of millions of books later, she’s still at it—fulfilling her passion by making other people’s lives more fulfilling at the same time."

He continues, "George Washington Carver did the same. He believed that since God created the world on purpose, there was no part of His creation that was without a reason for its existence. He believed everything in nature had a benefit, and it was his passion to discover as many of those infinite benefits as one lifetime would allow. He saw his passion and abilities as gifts from God, not for sale to the highest corporate bidder. He saw himself as a steward—a manager of the abilities he had received from on high. It was his responsibility to use those abilities—to exercise his passion for research into nature—to benefit the widest audience possible. And that’s what he did, humbly and joyfully, his whole life."

Zig then says, "That’s why I say there is passion and then there is passion. I believe the highest form of passion is that which sees the greater good as its object. The 'better than good' life is lived by those who have passion for changing the world they live in. It might be just their own family, their neighborhood, their church, their company, their community, or their nation they touch. But ultimately, to impact just one person with our passion is to change the world. To encourage, inspire, and motivate one person with our passion is to move beyond ourselves and take others with us. That is the essence of the 'better than good' life.

"If you have a passion (there is no one who doesn’t, even if they haven’t yet discovered it), don’t give up on it. Find a way—ask God to show you the way—to turn your dreams into reality. When you do, you’ll be living the 'better than good' life."

And that is what we want, isn't it?

Yes, yes!