Passion and determination are the secret to success
“Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration” Thomas Edison
Is passion truly necessary for success? Just recently, a friend gave me a long passionate speech about the importance to follow one’s passion, even though she was changing her own interests frequently. This, however did not preclude her from excelling in all of her chosen endeavours, which I attributed to her relentless obstinance to complete what she sets her mind on. She was a classic example of triumph of practice over passion. Is it truly necessary to have a passion in order to succeed, was a question I then asked myself.
A strong will to succeed is enough to achieve mastery, but passion is the guiding light that helps us choose what we shall pursue and master . It is passion that gives us energy and inspiration to look further than others to discover something new, and brings us that euphoric joy when we succeed which further motivates us to continue our work. Thus, I believe having a passion is as essential as having a will to persevere.
Passion and will are like two sides of a coin that complement each other. While passion is a desire that motivates us to pursue our goals because we like something about them, the will I would describe as an unrelenting force that keeps individuals from giving up on their goals. Since passion relies strongly on drawing pleasure, and many steps to achieve mastery are tedious, and failures are an essential part of each beginning, having passion alone without the will to persevere, would not be enough to reach the end goal. Failing is not pleasurable, and it is hard to be passionate about tedious and boring aspects that come with daily work and practice. Thus, both passion and will to persevere are essential to become successful: without passion, the purpose of our endeavours is missing, but without the will and determination, our dreams will never materialize.
The difference between will and passion can be directly applied to my life as not all subjects in my school interest me equally. I must keep in mind that passion is not the only way to excel, as my strong will and perseverance are just as valuable when it comes to scoring good grades, and while I am learning new subjects, I discover passion for areas I have dismissed earlier simply because I didn’t know them. No matter the challenge, I feel I can overcome any obstacle if I have the motivation to succeed. Passion makes the task much more enjoyable, but tenacity is the key. Ultimately, one will have the best of “ both worlds” if he or she is equally as passionate as they are motivated with a strong will to succeed. Passion alone is not enough to be successful, if one does not follow through with the work.
