"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Henry David Thoreau

The first building block in the ACC 10-Step Success Formula is passion.
Without real passion, the seeds of motivation and discipline will die in
the ground. Passion is part and parcel of the human soul; yet its
creative force, if not nourished and nurtured, suffocates early
on by ignorant upbringing in homes, schools, and religious and cultural
institutions—all of which the media supports and infuses.

Without passion one feels listless, empty and lost within the gulf between
a life devoid of purpose and one of no limits to endless self-discovery
and realization of hopes and dreams. I would venture to say that one's
dreams remain only as large as one's ability to experience a passionate
present and to envision an exhilarating future. It's really quite simple: One lives a passionate life to the extent that one's heart is open; an open heart gives without expectation, and understands that receiving is, in deed, another form of giving. So ask yourself: How is my energy level? How alive do I feel at this moment? Am I leading a life with a heart that is sensitive to, and empathetic with, other people—not just friends and family, but strangers too?

Everyone is endowed with certain gifts and talents. Make a list of your
top five; mine include:

1. Compassion
2. Intuition
3. A thirst for Learning
4. Wisdom
5. Determination.

I utilize these talents in my work as a trial lawyer, and with my coaching clients.

I am fortunate that I have chosen vocations that support and utilize these
and other gifts. And each has supported me in identifying my weaknesses, and, in some cases, turning them into strengths.

We can all consciously choose to commit passionately to each moment. A
person of passion creates each day, moment by moment, or sets about to
change one's perspective and thought patterns so that passion becomes a
focus and priority. The more one is attuned to one's values, the more
passionate one feels.

Are you choosing a life filled with excitement, regardless of external
circumstances, knowing and accepting that it is uncertainty itself that
offers the opportunities for exploration? A life without passion is a life
lived with an unfulfilled heart. Carlos Castaneda stated, "...when you come
to a path, ask yourself, 'does this path have a heart. If it does, then it
is good.'"

Passion grows from within, and extends to and through each moment. It
begins with gratitude. How much gratitude have you acknowledged today? To
what extent are you willing to choose to live each moment fully, with a
heart that is open?

Richard S. Jaffe, ACC, CPCC, JD.
http://www.acoachforchampions.com/