Keep the Passion
Dear Kiddos,
Good evening. I really enjoy writing these letters to you. They are easy to write, because I like doing it, so I try not to half-ass them. I could probably just copy down some stuff I learned from Big Daddy or the Vacation movies, you would be none the wiser, and you would go through life being secretly raised by Chevy Chase and Adam Sandler while I get all the credit. But that wouldn't really work, because if I was not passionate when writing, you would see right through these letters.
It is very easy to spot someone who is passionate. They are convincing, and you want to hear more of what they have to say. If you are going to do something in life, being passionate can go a long way. If you bump into the right teacher who lives and breathes the math they are teaching, I guarantee you will care more about math, at least for a little while anyway. If you are lucky enough to have a coach who is truly passionate about the game they are teaching you, I promise you will remember that team the rest of your life. If you ever have a doctor who is passionate about treating you, you will go back to them for as long as you can. (Your mom loves to tell people how I went to the pediatrician longer than when "society" says it is ok).
I once had a boss who genuinely loved furniture. Yes, furniture, but when somebody speaks about something with true passion, people listen, no matter what it is.
My job was to build chairs for him, which I did not consider my calling in life, but his passion would eventually seep into what I was doing. By the time I left, I was trying to set new records for how many chairs I could build in an hour. I once built 22. I was basically the Doc Holiday of chair builders, the fastest hands in the west....end of the warehouse. The day I quit, I kept building, hours after I was done, because when I was around that passion, I couldn't leave one poor chair un-built.
You can't even make fun of passion. I once worked with a guy who was crazy about his 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada. It was the first car he ever owned outright, and it took him a year to save up for it. He loved to talk about the wheels, the paint job, the interior, the radio, any and everything about that car. He was not showing off, he just had a major goal he set for himself, he accomplished it, and he was passionate. I tried making a few jokes about the car and even offered him $10 for it one time, but the jokes were never well received, because he wouldn't waiver on the pride he had in it. Hell, after a while, I wanted to go out and get a Bravada.
Passion is so powerful, people can't get enough of it, kind of like the last roll in the basket at Texas Roadhouse. As you know, I am a pretty big fan of the St. Louis Rams, and will try to pass this on to you. I became a fan of them after watching them with my Uncle Rich when I was little. I had seen football before, but watching him live and breathe every play was a different experience. He would hold his breath on big plays. He would yell and cheer and throw me in the air when they scored. I didn't even fully understand what was going on, but I wanted them to win so bad I would get nervous before games (and I still do).
People may try to make fun of you, or tell you that you can't follow your passion, but that only means they admire you for it. They don't have the passion you have, so they are just being assholes. If you stay the course, their respect will come over time. Don't let anyone or anything deter you. Protect your passions at all costs.
If I try to make you laugh by lazily making some fart noises with my mouth, you aren't amused, and will continue crying. If I jump up and down, yell, stick my tongue out, make a funny face, and run around the house, you will at least crack a smile. You can't even say words yet, but you already know how to see past someone who does not believe what they are doing. You are passionate about every thing you do right now, you can't turn it off. Each bite you take, every toy you play with, walking climbing, pulling on my face, and even crapping your pants, is done with you all in.
As we go on through life, we start to half ass more and more things, and it can be easy to forget passion. But when you are completely invested on whatever your job is, whatever your hobbies are, and above all, your family, it never leaves your mind. You become focused, enjoy these things, and take an immense amount of pride in them. So always be as passionate as you can. Be the one on your sports teams who is yelling the loudest and bringing the energy. Be the guy in the eating contest who smashes the taco record by 5 (yes I'm still champ). Be the one at school who can't wait to dive into tough problems. Be the friend who doesn't want to quit playing until you have to. Keep on laughing hard, down from your belly when you are having a great time.
I will always try to be a role model if you want to know what passion looks like. I love my work, and take great pride in working at it every day. I will always bear hug you and your mom (I will kiss you while you are younger, but only until it gets weird, and then I will only kiss your mom, sorry.) And finally, I will always tell you all how much I love you, and you better do the same. If you are going to do something in life, and you aren't passionate, then you are wasting you're time.
Thank you for teaching me this lesson, so I could teach it to you.
Love,
Dad
Good evening. I really enjoy writing these letters to you. They are easy to write, because I like doing it, so I try not to half-ass them. I could probably just copy down some stuff I learned from Big Daddy or the Vacation movies, you would be none the wiser, and you would go through life being secretly raised by Chevy Chase and Adam Sandler while I get all the credit. But that wouldn't really work, because if I was not passionate when writing, you would see right through these letters.
It is very easy to spot someone who is passionate. They are convincing, and you want to hear more of what they have to say. If you are going to do something in life, being passionate can go a long way. If you bump into the right teacher who lives and breathes the math they are teaching, I guarantee you will care more about math, at least for a little while anyway. If you are lucky enough to have a coach who is truly passionate about the game they are teaching you, I promise you will remember that team the rest of your life. If you ever have a doctor who is passionate about treating you, you will go back to them for as long as you can. (Your mom loves to tell people how I went to the pediatrician longer than when "society" says it is ok).I once had a boss who genuinely loved furniture. Yes, furniture, but when somebody speaks about something with true passion, people listen, no matter what it is.
My job was to build chairs for him, which I did not consider my calling in life, but his passion would eventually seep into what I was doing. By the time I left, I was trying to set new records for how many chairs I could build in an hour. I once built 22. I was basically the Doc Holiday of chair builders, the fastest hands in the west....end of the warehouse. The day I quit, I kept building, hours after I was done, because when I was around that passion, I couldn't leave one poor chair un-built.
You can't even make fun of passion. I once worked with a guy who was crazy about his 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada. It was the first car he ever owned outright, and it took him a year to save up for it. He loved to talk about the wheels, the paint job, the interior, the radio, any and everything about that car. He was not showing off, he just had a major goal he set for himself, he accomplished it, and he was passionate. I tried making a few jokes about the car and even offered him $10 for it one time, but the jokes were never well received, because he wouldn't waiver on the pride he had in it. Hell, after a while, I wanted to go out and get a Bravada.
Passion is so powerful, people can't get enough of it, kind of like the last roll in the basket at Texas Roadhouse. As you know, I am a pretty big fan of the St. Louis Rams, and will try to pass this on to you. I became a fan of them after watching them with my Uncle Rich when I was little. I had seen football before, but watching him live and breathe every play was a different experience. He would hold his breath on big plays. He would yell and cheer and throw me in the air when they scored. I didn't even fully understand what was going on, but I wanted them to win so bad I would get nervous before games (and I still do).People may try to make fun of you, or tell you that you can't follow your passion, but that only means they admire you for it. They don't have the passion you have, so they are just being assholes. If you stay the course, their respect will come over time. Don't let anyone or anything deter you. Protect your passions at all costs.
If I try to make you laugh by lazily making some fart noises with my mouth, you aren't amused, and will continue crying. If I jump up and down, yell, stick my tongue out, make a funny face, and run around the house, you will at least crack a smile. You can't even say words yet, but you already know how to see past someone who does not believe what they are doing. You are passionate about every thing you do right now, you can't turn it off. Each bite you take, every toy you play with, walking climbing, pulling on my face, and even crapping your pants, is done with you all in.As we go on through life, we start to half ass more and more things, and it can be easy to forget passion. But when you are completely invested on whatever your job is, whatever your hobbies are, and above all, your family, it never leaves your mind. You become focused, enjoy these things, and take an immense amount of pride in them. So always be as passionate as you can. Be the one on your sports teams who is yelling the loudest and bringing the energy. Be the guy in the eating contest who smashes the taco record by 5 (yes I'm still champ). Be the one at school who can't wait to dive into tough problems. Be the friend who doesn't want to quit playing until you have to. Keep on laughing hard, down from your belly when you are having a great time.
I will always try to be a role model if you want to know what passion looks like. I love my work, and take great pride in working at it every day. I will always bear hug you and your mom (I will kiss you while you are younger, but only until it gets weird, and then I will only kiss your mom, sorry.) And finally, I will always tell you all how much I love you, and you better do the same. If you are going to do something in life, and you aren't passionate, then you are wasting you're time.
Thank you for teaching me this lesson, so I could teach it to you.
Love,
Dad
Comments
Post a Comment