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Passion.  Another loaded word.  I believe that part of the reluctance people tend to have about listen to others go on about their passion is that we feel like we’ve heard these inspiring reels before but without a lot of result.  As my friend the Buddhist monk used to say, “I hear a lot of noise coming from the kitchen…pots and pans and all that…but I don’t smell any cooking.”

Let’s be honest: we’ve all experienced both sides.  On the one hand, we’ve rolled our eyes (perhaps subtly or internally) when listening to someone talking about their passion.  On the other hand, we’ve been fired up and passionate about something to the point that we need to tell everyone we know about it…and then sorta faded back into the comfy impression we’ve made on the Couch of Life.

The thing about the idea of being passionate about something, about being totally jazzed and fired up, is that it sparks the tiniest little fire inside of us that, in turn, wells up into that horrible 4-letter word that gets us all in trouble:

HOPE.

Acknowledging passion inspires hope.  It’s the hope of the ignorant and optimistic and idealistic and inexperienced.  Then some bad things happen in life, hopes begins to falter, and…we’re back on the couch.  This vicious, demoralizing cycle happens over and over again as we navigate our existence, and our hearts are broken more times than we can count.

Then it happens again.  HOPE.

Sustainable passion requires hope that will not go away.  As my friend Jeff recounted during a recent conversation we had (that we recorded for your listening pleasure), passion is “what we’re made for.”  Not his words, mind you, but the words of an 11-year-old.  Passion is hope, and hope is flammable.  That’s what gets us in trouble.  The fire of hope can get so out of control that we get burned in the process.  That risk is enough to assume that seat on the couch again.

My remedy: don’t call it passion.  Call it something else if doing so moves you to action.  Otherwise, stick with passion.  It’s not a bad word.  The important thing is to feel the burn deep inside.  EVERYONE needs fire inside to get the engine running.  Internal combustion.  Another sound concept.  Some of us need more fire than others, but we all need it.  We all find ways to get it.  When we get enough, it inspires us.  It forces us to move, to take action.  Heaven forbid we get the intended results.  Then momentum kicks in.  It can all get pretty scary pretty quick.  Before the scare moves in, though, we get that sublime feeling of awesomeness.

That, my friend, is passion.

The art of applied passion is something I like to call Boomcraft.

In Trueness, all great things are found. They are great because they are the thing that move us to do more, to be more, to aspire to more than we did the day before.

When people connect to their Trueness, what they do with their time cannot help but have profound and connected meaning.

What the heck is Trueness? Funny you should ask. My friend Jeff and I talk about it over at his site, JeffBrunson.com. Come on over and have a listen.

Before I keep moving along with this train of thought I started last week (and it is a train, trust me), I figured I’d pause on this cold and icy Monday evening to share some of the best unsolicited and unheeded advice I’ve been given in the past year or so.  It comes from a common source of wisdom in my life, my good friend Jeff.  Not too long ago, he said this to me:

“Don’t worry about writing a book from scratch.  Edit the book you’ve already written.”

I can’t recall the exact context or circumstances, but the words have been ringing in my ears for months.  They keep coming back to me every time I sit down and write something because everything I write is another part of another chapter in this book that I’ve been inadvertently (and advertently?) authoring.  This writing happens on loose sheets of paper, in notebooks, on the internet, in email, and even in texts.  I am building a series of thoughts and ideas, elaborating on them, and weaving a tapestry that, although incoherent at first glance, will become a work that I can share.  And I will share.

For me, it’s writing, but for you it is something else.  Well, maybe it is writing, too, but it doesn’t have to be.  You are producing a work of art in everything you do.  What are you creating?  And will you share it with the world?

Heed the advice: edit what you have already written.  Chance are, you are much farther along than you realize.  For my part, the editing has begun.

Now I just need a proofreader…

When I was knee-deep in IT break-fix several years ago, a former computer engineer with the US Marine Corps taught me a key lesson about troubleshooting problems. He shared with me a basic technique an old electrical engineer had taught him. If a circuit isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do, test it from the beginning of the circuit to the midpoint. If it works, treat the midpoint as the new starting point. Test from there to the midpoint between it and the end of the circuit. If it works, make that the new starting point and test to the midpoint between it and the end of the circuit. Keep doing that until your test fails. You’ve now isolated the problem between two points along the path. Start working backward, treating the last successful test point as the new starting point and the failed midpoint as the new end. This isolates testing to a specific segment of the path. Test to midpoint, and start the process over again and again until you find the problem.

It makes sense if you like electrical stuff. At least, it made sense to me. What stuck with me about the lesson in troubleshooting is that many of life’s problems can be solved in a similar manner. I built my technical career on the principle that any technology problem can be broken down into parts until a solution is derived. There is always a start and an end, so there is always a midpoint for testing.

When I moved into roles that focused more on project management, my brain processed problems in a certain way, and I quickly learned that the way I processed problems applied itself nicely to projects. I began to see all problems as projects…and all projects as problems that required solutions. The pattern that I applied was simple: a project starts, it ends, and somewhere along the way there is a midpoint. Instead of testing to midpoint, though, the question became one of what happens between start and midpoint. In project management, a midpoint is referred to as a milestone. As one derives midpoints between points, more milestones emerge. Some aren’t as important as others, and they are referred to as tasks. In project management, solutions are just the critical path from the start to the finish of a project.

Eventually, it dawned on me that the ability to shape my life lies in my ability to find solutions based on midpoints, milestones, and tasks. While this may appear to be an over-simplification of some of the complexities of life, my peace of mind comes from the knowledge that the basic methodology as an approach to survival works. I have proof. My proof is my life. Most of the great accomplishments in my life are the result of approaching the path to the goal as a series of milestones and tasks that get me from here to there. I uncover the path by observing the present, envisioning the preferred future, then discerning the midpoint. From there, determining the steps along the path becomes far less intimidating.

It’s not easy, but it is simple. In life, I find that shaping our paths is the same: not easy but simple. Complexity can be simple when approached methodically. This is what an electrical circuit taught me about life.

Commitment to rejecting hesitation? Check.

Commitment to your secret ingredient, your undeniable presence and awesomeness, your Boomcraft? Check.

OK. Uh…what now?

Now, we pause for purpose. Not “lightning out of the blue” purpose, but “focus for my lifetime” purpose. I know, it sound daunting, but it’s really not. There isn’t a formula, per se, for finding your truth, but there are people making inroads into the nature of purpose and how we share that with the world. They are out there, studying it, doing their best to share what they learn. Sure, some are selling. They sell promises and processes and models and things like that. Don’t begrudge them their living, of course, but be wary of what you’re being sold. Don’t fall for the idea that “the model works, so if this winds up being a dud for you…well…it’s your fault!” The truth is that, yes, it does have mainly to do with you or me, not so much the model, but the model, whichever model, is as much a dud as the person upon whom dudding has occurred.

You see, people are not mathematical equations. We are not a series of variables, any of which can be “solved for” in the absolute mathematical sense. Our variables are just that: variable. What works for one will likely not work for another. What works for one today may likely not work tomorrow or some point in the future. The model, the solution, must resonate with the individual. The frequency has to vibrate in the same way for both so that good things can happen. That said, there is one thing that all models for discerning purpose that I’ve come across have in common: they contain an element of introspection. At some point, the individual must stop to take that long, hard look inside to figure out what makes them tick.

Aaron Hurst, Arthur Woods, and the good people over at imperative are serving up one method for taking that hard look within. Their work is focused on finding patterns in the population and helping the individual connect to their special pattern. From there, the work begins. Kevin McCarthy is helping people be on-purpose. His work is focused on…well…purposeful focus. Kevin’s methodology requires a close examination of not only what the individual values but how they choose to spend their time. The common element is finding meaning through turning the gaze inward before looking to apply any sense of purpose to the world outside. They both have merit and impact. I know; I’ve worked through them both. They resonated.

With resonance and honest self-evaluation, purpose can come into focus. Then focus can become the next step.

Now that you’ve decided to leave hesitation behind you, what do you do next? Some say that the commitment to move forward generates motion and opportunity in the Universe. The Universe is waiting for you to commit in your heart, an act that sends ripples of energy outward, notifying opportunity, serendipity, and other mysteries forces that you are open for business. Or maybe not. Others say that words are great, but they don’t mean much without action.

The great thing about the eternal case of action v non-action is that the winner is easy to discern: it is action every single time. Why? Because non-action is action. We choose non-action over action, and choice is action. Choosing nothing over something is still choosing. Thinking that we can avoid the hard work and pain of making choices by refusing to make them is a trick, y’all, one the Lizard Brain inserts into our thinking all the time. The fact of the matter is that “chain action” is what is required to move from idea to…thing…whatever that thing might be. Isolated action expends energy, may garner some result, and is almost always of limited potential. Action with purpose, action with forethought, and action with subsequent action, however, are all ways to build momentum, and the Universe loves momentum. Momentum and movement make it easier for opportunity to find you. Or for you to find it.

Enter Boomcraft. Boomcraft is the sensation others get when you walk into the room. It is your presence at a meeting. It is your idea at a brainstorming session. It is your post in the blogosphere. Boomcraft is your product. Boomcraft is what you bring to the table. Boomcraft is why people keep asking for you. Boomcraft is the sound of your awesomeness unleashed. Did the windows just rattle? You bet your ass they did. That was your Boomcraft making itself known.

Nearly every day, I take ideas and start them down the path to becoming something more than ethereal thoughts. I make things out of nothing. That is my Boomcraft. What is yours?

I watched my kids perform on stage last night. Piano recital. My oldest has been away from piano for several years, focusing on other instruments, and only started taking lessons again about 3 months or so ago. He was the second performer last night. He performed his three pieces beautifully. I was shocked…awed, really, to the point of tears…at how far he has come as a pianist in so short a time. It was a huge leap from the last time he was on that stage, and I couldn’t have been more proud.

My younger one, as it turns out, was the second-to-last soloist last night. A few days earlier, I’d watched him rehearse his piece. The piece he and his instructor chose was the longest, most complex piece he’d tackled to date. He executed flawlessly during rehearsal, but his instructor just felt the piece lacked anything special. They talked about dynamics. “The whole piece is mezzo forte,” he told her. They discussed it some more. In the end, she told him to add dynamics (playing the piece louder or softer during certain section) in the places that made the most sense to him. In the end, she left it up to him, his interpretation of the piece. I had an inkling of where he was taking the piece, but the end result…was stunning. My wife was slack-jawed. She didn’t know about their discussion, so his ownership of the piece was a complete surprise to her.

One of my parents’ siblings is, in essence, dying. His body is simply preparing to shut down. We anticipate a call any day now. The heaviness that comes from such knowledge was in my heart last night as I watched the recital. As my children grow in age, talent, and life experiences, my parents and their contemporaries are entering twilight. The sun is setting for them, and they will continue to lose each other, one by one, until I will finally find myself on that end of the spectrum of life. Life is constant transition, of course, but, for me, this is clearly “a moment”. Perhaps it is simply a moment of recognition, a moment of lucidity and clarity, but it is like a dawning of sorts in direct contrast to that twilight.

It is prudent to not assume that our metaphoric day is long. The truth is that it is short, but it can be even shorter for us than we anticipate or desire. As our calendars transition from 2014 to 2015, take the time to reflect on where you have been, what you have received, and what you desire and intend for the year to come. As Seth Godin recently articulated, if you do not plan for the future, you have already planned.

Just keep that in mind during the transition.

I received a note out of the blue a few weeks ago. It was from someone who I met at work well over a year ago because of a common interest in the work of Eckhart Tolle. We met up in person after some virtual exchanges and quickly became spiritual “peer mentors” to one another. In similar places in our unfolding career stories, we found in each other a person we could trust, who would honor our confidence, and who would gently encourage the best in us. Then my friend left the company, abruptly. She made a courageous leap of faith based on her need to become more of the person she wished to be. The coming months were extremely difficult for her. As a single mother of two and sole provider for her household, the leap was stressful. We’ve kept in touch, and I know her journey has been rough. However, I also know that she is getting ever closer to a place of greater inner peace.

Months had passed since we last spoke when this note came into my inbox. It was an unexpected gift, a note of thanks from my friend. She gave me a Kindle book as thanks for helping her find a job. She’s employed now in a field that I know brings her much more joy than the work she was doing here, where I work. I am sure her other plans continue to evolve, as well. There is something to be said for having the ability to more securely meet our worldly, physical needs!

The gift, though, wasn’t the book. It was the thanks I received for helping her. You see, I simply made a connection between her and someone else I barely know, and that connection led to this opportunity for my friend. This other person, the one I barely know, is someone who happens to have been a potential contact for her in her new field. In simplest terms, he is the only person I knew in an adjacent field, so I introduced them, virtually. That’s it. The rest…the rest was born from her capabilities and this other person’s generosity. I met him only once, and I’ve exchanged a handful of email with him. What I saw in him was a generous human being with a passion for and focus on helping others.

I made a connection, but the true, unexpected gift came from the validation that nudging others, even if in seemingly small ways, can have deep and meaningful impact to those you choose to serve. With no motivation other than helping out a friend, I got a book in the process, too. Life affirmation and something uplifting to read…not a bad way to wind down the year!

In your life, there are undoubtedly opportunities to serve and nudge in the smallest ways. Seize those opportunities! Gratitude will find you.

Dream. Dream big. Dream anything. Write it down on paper. You now have a record of the dream.

I can’t interpret your dream. I’m not a psychologist or astrologist or tea-leaf-reader-ologist. You can use a phone book or head to your favorite bookstore for resources on how to do that. I mean, I can try. I can tell you what I think, but I wouldn’t exactly put a lot of stock in my interpretation.

What I can do is help translate your dream. In fact, you can do that yourself. You don’t necessarily need someone like me to do the translation (although a nice nudge is always helpful!). When it comes to translating dreams, what matters most is turning the ephemeral into the Earthly. And that, believe it or not, does not require magic.

A dream is a thought. It’s abstract. It doesn’t exist in the physical world. It isn’t a real thing until you make it a real thing. The easiest way to do that is to write your dream down on paper. And I’m not talking about whacked-out dreams about soaring through the air or dreams in which you talk to the pets of deceased historical figures. I’m talking about the kinds of dreams wherein you imagine something bright and wonderful for your future, something that can actually happen in the world ruled by physics and other laws of nature. Write that dream down.

Congratulations. You’ve given form to the formless. Now it can’t just evaporate.

A dream on paper is a goal. A goal is an objective, right? Something to which one can aspire and work toward. A goal is also a destination. You get to any destination by traveling. You travel by planning and then executing. Travel, all travel, begins with the first step. A step can also be regarded as a task. A task is simply something that you do. Hit or miss, achieve or fail, it doesn’t matter. Once you’ve got a task identified, you can begin to see the way towards your destination, your goal, your objective. Your dream.

I know it’s not that simple, but…well, yes, it is that simple. Simple doesn’t mean easy, mind you. It just means that it’s not nearly as complicated as we convince ourselves it is before we ever even start. Don’t do yourself wrong that way…don’t sell yourself short. Stopping before you ever start simply because you’re afraid is a tragedy. It’s self-inflicted cruelty. Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t do that to your dreams. Give them a chance to live or die on their own merit, on the basis of your abilities.

Translate your dreams into goals, and don’t be afraid to follow the steps required to achieve those goals.

Did you take any psych classes? I took a child psych class that left an impression on me. I had some startling revelations about myself and the nature of humanity. The software that runs on our hardware..abso-effin-lutely amazing. Cognitive development, language acquisition, acculturation…I studied all of it with gusto because of that stupid child psych class. One of the things I realized is that we are, on a daily basis, locked in an internal battle against biology. It is in many ways a literal fight between the human and the animal that make up our physical and cognitive being. You feel it, don’t you? You know what I’m talking about. Every single-dingle day. We strive to be something more than the naked apes that Desmond Morris revealed to us.

While doing biology homework the other day, my son came to the realization that we exist primarily as conduits for future generations. He told me that the whole point of life is to have babies so that the species doesn’t die out. It wasn’t a statement about his philosophy on life as much as it was a question. I think he wanted reassurance that this nascent concept developing in his mind couldn’t possible be true. “That’s correct,” I said. “We eat, sleep, and fight to stay alive just so we can create the next round of human beings.” He stared at me, obviously hoping for something more. And there was. “That’s the animal part of us,” I told him. “The human part, the magical thing that you can’t observe under a microscope or in a fancy machine…that part exists for another reason.” He was quiet for a moment. “Why?” he asked. “That’s the question, son,” was my response. “That’s the question. And you’ll spend the rest of your life exploring it.” I would have handed him my old copy of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, but I’ll save that for another plane of development.

I believe purpose is at the center of everything. It drives everything we do, fuels all of our hopes and dreams, ignites our passions and ambitions. The only thing I concern myself with these days is articulating everything in terms of purpose. Companies offer many things to employees, but all of those things are cooked up by soft, squishy people just like me and you. “The Company” is a legal entity. In the end, people make the decisions.

We might not always see it or understand it, but everything that anyone builds, literal or figurative, is an outward manifestation of the inward. Take any corporate vision or purpose statement as an example. It’s as much about a CEO’s desire to make the company great as it is his or her desire to leave a great legacy. The CEO seeks meaning and purpose, and everything they do is colored by that. It’s the same for me, and it’s the same for you. You want to do great work, work at a great place, make great friends, eat great food, have a great time…all kinds of great things. How you define greatness and how you achieve it…that comes from your purpose. Purpose is at the center of everything.

So, in the corporate work I do, I aim to make sense of things like vision statements and leadership philosophies to discern where purpose manifests itself in each thing leaders are telling people is important. If I can find those pathways and illuminate them with the light of purpose, then perhaps I will have done something worthwhile with my time.