Pursue something because it fascinates you, because the pursuit itself engages and compels you.

“The fastest way to pass your own expectations is to add passion to your labor.” — Mike Litman

Once upon a time, I had a co-worker who had no interest or dedication to a job of training others. Until we parted ways, I saw no history of participation or dedication in the job. Instead, I saw a history of inaction, lack of interest and indolence.

First, I thought he did not have the experience, so I showed him how to prepare slides, how to do research on the topic at hand and how to relate to an audience while speaking.

As days and weeks passed, I saw no improvement. A job I love is a form of torture for him, I would always arrive early to prepare for the day while all he did was call in sick all the time. I did small things before my first cup of coffee while he has become overwhelmed before 10.00 a.m.

I had a sinking feeling that he didn’t like the job.

I had a deep conversation with him. And found out that he has applied for the job to become a personal development trainer because he wanted to be “great”. Because he wanted people to call his name and say that he is their trainer.

Me: “Do you want to be an accomplished trainer, one day?”

Him: “I want to be good like you.”

Me: “But that should not be the reason why you are doing your job. I am training others because I love to teach. What do you enjoy doing? Tell me honestly.”

Him: “I love maintaining computers and cellphones. My family has a computers shop and I go every day after work hours to help out.”

I saw the way he spoke of technical jargons. I realized that he loves the time he spends with computers more than the time he spends learning to train people all day which he had no passion for. So, I told him to leave training and make himself indispensable at maintaining electronics.

I still keep in touch with him and I am happy to see that now he has his own small shop where he gets to dismantle things and be happy at the same time. He has found his energy, life force, and inspiration.

That is how it should be.

Every time you are pursuing something for an artificial reason (fame, position, money), you are closing the door on what you love to do and throwing the key away.

Because you will not survive when the storm comes. When people tell you ‘your contributions are not good enough.’ When people tell you ‘we don’t want the article you submitted.’

Rejections are inescapable. Setbacks and challenges are unavoidable. They are omnipresent. They are like the air we breathe in, all around us, something we can’t get away from.

If the work itself doesn’t drive you, you will burn out or fall by the wayside.

Or your extreme competitors will crush you and make you cry.

Ask yourself this: 

Are you willing to suffer for your work? Do you genuinely believe your work to be worth the sacrifice?

How long has it been since you have felt energized and strong and like the best version of yourself — the you that you wish you could be all the time?

Lack of energy and focus all the time is not something that can be brushed off.

You have to have a life force and inspiration to do what you do.

If the patterns in your life are leading you to get depleted all the time, you need to identify why that is so and change the pattern.

If you are not fascinated by the work that you are doing, your soul is asking you for something that it can latch on. It is asking you to feed it.

Getting yourself back from a state of lack of interest, dedication and no energy whatsoever to do your job means different things for different people.

But there is a common denominator in all of us who are able to rest up over the weekend but now we cannot wait until the weekday starts and we can get immersed with doing our jobs.

We are not writing or creating something or pursuing our dreams because we want to be great.

We are pursuing something because the thing that we are honing fascinates us. We are fully engaged. It compels us.

If the work itself doesn’t drive you, if no value compels you to push yourself forward, your work will deplete you.

And when you are not deeply and truly involved with work that energizes you, challenging circumstances will not only bend you. But they will also break you.

Infuse your work with purpose and meaning that does not depend on anyone or anything that can ever be taken away from you.

“Find a seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower.” — Shigenori Kameoka

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To your Inspirations,

Banchi