A textbook definition of passion goes along the lines of, the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces; intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction; a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. I often wonder how passion affects us when making choices associated with how we spend our time in life. What are my passions? This can be broken down into two separate questions of what I do well and what I enjoy doing. It is somewhere in the middle that my passion lies

What I do well?

I am able to use metaphorical imagery to explain complex systems. Which means that I am able to translate “Geek” into English using my gift of distillation and my passion for off-the-cuff analogies. When looking at something my brain defaults to figure-out-how-it-works mode. I often find myself in situations involving me suggesting solutions without solicitation.

One of my past times is researching technology. I have a strong desire to understand the world around me, especially as our lives become more intertwined with technology. Infrastructure fascinates me as it is a crucial asset to our modern society. The “how it works game” would be the best way to describe my brain’s default mode of thinking. When faced with a question I do not know the answer to I am not afraid to respond with, “I will have to get back to you on that one…” which then becomes my own personal challenge to research the topic to the point that I can explain it in layman’s terms. I have learned the best way to gain a deeper understanding is through the process of asking questions. As a child one of my favorite questions was “Why?” As human beings we have an instinctual disposition to talk to people, I make widespread use of that instinct.

I am able to connect with people on a deeper interpersonal level due to my desire to understand. My technologist background makes interfacing with engineers a fun conversation as I strive to understand how they create whatever it is they are engineering and how it fits into a bigger picture. I find that the exchanging of ideas to be based on trust; a trust that the other person has a true desire and ability to have the knowledge imparted upon them. Making original content is the best way for someone to leave their mark on the world and most makers enjoy sharing the process in which something was produced. I enjoy documenting such information, for even if nobody else sees it I am able to go back and use it as a reference. I find teaching to be an honored form in the tradition of transferring knowledge. Teaching is one of those primitive instincts that helped aid in our evolution and it is because of this instinct that everyone enjoys seeing the look on someones face when they finally understand something and the light bulb turns on.

As for what I really enjoy doing…

I really enjoy giving someone a gift. It may be as simple as a sincere smile or wave to as elaborate as a custom poster to document a shared experience. Most of my gifts come from my desire to want someone to experience something similar to what I experiance(d). Other motivators I find for gifting are: because they looked like they needed it, because I no longer needed/wanted it, because they were asking for it, and my favorite, just cause. My penchant for gifting is one of my worst business traits.

The feeling of rollerblading amazes me; the way time stretches to a halt as I stop thinking and merely focus on the path in front of me while hovering inches off of the ground at 15 miles per hour is quite invigorating.

I am sure everyone likes having a good time; for me, my brain stays engaged in customer development mode and as I take on the role of informal people researcher. Figuring out how stuff works is what my brain defaults to which takes the fun out of magic shows. Questioning life’s mysteries amongst 30,000 dancing people is an experience that I am told is quite common.

The fulfillment of cooking a meal exactly to one’s own tastes and preference is rewarding and I swear it fills you up more.

The best way to obtain an intimate understanding of one’s surroundings can be achieved through exploration.

Exploring is a legitimate avenue to adventures. Adventuring evokes that feeling of navigating through the world with a purpose. With purpose and individual is able to overcome situations with high failure rates due to the fact that attrition is a group statistic.