“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.”
~Vincent van Gogh
As many of you know, I received a cancer diagnosis last year. As I write this, I am still clean, and very needless to say, I am beyond thankful and appreciative of that.
Hearing the words, “It may be cancer,” changes one. At least it changed me. It made me realize, even more, that life may be way shorter than I want it to be, and that either way, I wanted to live even more intentionally – and Thoughtfully.
That life is too important to waste or to fritter away.
I was listening to a podcast the other day. Andrea Gibson (an amazing poet) had been diagnosed with seemingly incurable cancer. She said, “If I have a short time to live, I’m not going to spend that time dying. I’m going to spend that time living.”
It resonated with me.
Which brings me to Vincent’s quote.
We have clients who are thrilled by their work, and we have clients who are bored, underutilized, and even somewhat miserable.
As counterintuitive as it may seem, I often ask them what they can do – even staying in the job they’re in – to be less miserable. How can they excite themselves? How can they find or create something that fuels them?
How can they ignite their passion?
Even the most mundane task can at least sometimes be done with fervor and joy. Even the routine assignment or ‘life-sucking’ environment can have something in it that turns you on. Even the most boring person, place, situation, or thing can possibly have an element to it (or them) that is exciting…or at least memorable…or interesting…or soothing…or so many things other than boring.
We have the choice to make the most of wherever we are and however we are. We can aim for passion and engagement rather than boredom, for as long as we have to be at it.
How have you found more passion in your work and life?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
If you want to be excited rather than bored, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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