On passion and purpose

I read this gemlog post[1] earlier and it got me thinking about my own perspective on the relation between passion and purpose. In my experience while purpose is a constant background hum, passion is a short burst of energy that is impossible to hold on to. It can materialise without forewarning and leave almost as fast.

I'm not sure if passion is more of a thing when your younger and many venues are still unexplored. I do remember feeling passionate about the theory side of what is now my day to day work but I wouldn't say I'm passionate about the same things over time. Instead they change and morph and realising I've lost a once held passion can leave me a bit sad.

For me at least, curiosity is the launch pad for passion, occasionally you can keep passion going long enough to feel good about some piecemeal growth or refinement of a skill but oftentimes passion leaves well before reaching a goal or major milestone.

I was going to write that you don't choose your purpose as you do your passion but it would not be the truth. I don't believe I can choose either. They just hum along and come and go as they please. I do think that passion is a great help to get up in the morning during those periods when I feel passionate about something. I'm probably on the spectrum of some diagnosis and I really enjoy diving into things that interest me, sometimes forsaking the things I ought to do.

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