Why Passion Is Attractive

People who go to Vegas are passionate about something: gambling, drinking, partying, dancing. But I got caught up in an unexpected passion – the passion of professional audio engineers.

When I was recently in Las Vegas, I met some professional audio engineers whose passion could not be contained. These people live and breathe sound by creating and improving environments in cars, homes, and headphones so we can have quality music played at our discretion. Hearing them speak, I realized two things: how much I didn’t know about quality sound and how passionate people excite me.

I didn’t know how to adjust the levels on my car speakers to increase treble, bass, and midrange, nor did I know why I would do this. They taught me that adjusting these knobs makes music more personal and sound even more pleasing to each of us. It was an “aha!” moment for me.

More importantly, passion. Why is passion attractive?

Photo published with permission by photographer, Michele J. Hale. https://michelejhale.com/

Most people keep their passions closeted, only coming out when supremely safe. They don’t feel accepted to share their love for sub-niche activities or even things like Roller Derby, Disneyland, breath classes, or the Goodyear Blimp publicly. Ridicule and teasing are buzzkills and turn passions into liabilities. Have you ever been super excited about something you want to try (or you already do) and someone looks at you with a side eye and sarcastically says, “really?” That happened to me the other day.

I was expressing passionate concern for the environment and someone mocked me. I didn’t know exactly how to reply, so I said, “I can see you think this is funny, but I think it’s really important.” I wasn’t trying to get her to agree with me in that moment; instead, I just wanted respect for my beliefs.

This is what I think it boils down to: people have their passion projects, hobbies, collections, sports, careers, relationships. They only want to be accepted. Nothing more, nothing less. They don’t need you to share the same interests in music, yoga, specialty restaurants, hiking, or CrossFit. All they want is for you to recognize and acknowledge their pursuits and passions.

The kicker is passion isn’t something you can fake. When you’re into something, you really love it. And, that deep love and devotion shows when you talk about it! This is what was so neat about the audio engineers in Vegas. They talked about music and sound the way other people talk about their kids and pets. They shared knowledge, they educated, they beamed with happiness talking about their work. It was so contagious I’m still thinking about them and writing this today!

What makes passion so attractive is love.

Love is that universal feeling that can’t be smothered. Passion shows up like glitter and sparkles. It gets everywhere and is hard to take off, but once you’ve seen it, you don’t forget.

Passion is doing what you love, regardless of popular opinion. It’s feeling free.

When I work with clients, we always consider their passions: what makes them tick, what seems unique, interesting, and exciting. I ask them to dream big, and then add 30% more. It’s this type of free-flowing thought that helps us realize our passions. Passions are also expressions of time, love, and energy that bring joy.

Have you found some of your passions?

Photo of me with a wall of JBL speakers and lights in Las Vegas.

I work with clients on their passions. Please contact me. Other posts you may like: Leadership: A Self-Coronation, 16 Tips I’ve Learned While Working For Myself, and Why I Say Yes.