On Passion

May 2023 (443 Words, 3 Minutes)

A Speech about Passion

Why do we lose our passion for things we used to be obsessed with? I often hear people say that they didn’t have enough money or means to continue pursuing their passion. Maybe there was a program they wanted to attend or trip they wanted to go on, which would have been landmark experiences for them, and they couldn’t due to these concerns. It may be sad, but I do believe that this is not a legitmate reason to lose passion. If you are truly passionate about something, you will find other ways to go after it. Ways that are low-cost, free, or that you can do. I will give a personal example. I was obsessed with learning French in 2022, and I would discuss it with friends and practice it on Duolingo all the time. But when I came across a French class for beginners that I wanted to attend, it was too expensive for me. Now, at this point, you may blame my financial status for the failure of my goal of learning French, and for a while, I did. But I know now, and I want to tell you, that the failure of any passion is caused by a lack of passion. If I was truly passionate about French, I would have gone about learning it in any way I could. It wouldn’t matter what it was. Whether it was through doing more Duolingo, speaking exercises, reading books in French, listening to podcasts in French, or one of many other things… I would have continued doing it. If you keep on being passionate about something, you will eventually find the time and resources to take yourself on these large trips or participate in expensive programs. It has taken me over a year to finally admit it, but I was not passionate about French at all. A lofty goal is what it was. The initial momentum was apparent, but when in the face of adversity due to a program I couldn’t afford, it all fell apart. That’s the key lesson. Do not let your passion fall in the face of any hardship. I will give an alternate personal example showcasing a successful passion. I love cybersecurity, and I’m still pursuing it today. When I wanted to get a certification called the eJPT which would prove my skills to employers, I had the same problem. I couldn’t afford it. But this was different. I was passionate about cybersecurity. I found other ways to pursue the interest. I participated in capture the flag competitions. I hacked into machines on platforms such as HackTheBox and TryHackMe. I frequently watched videos related to cybersecurity and took notes. I applied to a university program focused on it. I… you get the point. I did and am doing things related to my passion. This is all despite the fact that I faced an obstacle early on. It didn’t kill my passion. And now, I can find the resources to obtain a certification I want (like the CCNA). To reiterate my point: do not drop your passion if you are genuinely passionate about it. Find opportunities and ways to go after your dreams; the opportunities and ways I am talking about are there for practically anything. You just need to find them. Do not cry about not being able to afford an experience and say that it was the cause of why you failed. If all it took for you to lose interest was that, answer me this question: were you really passionate about the interest in the first place or was it just empty promises?

Final little statement

Just a message I wanted to share. Don’t give up on your passion, people.