Inject...

Passion comes easily to me and I inject a lot of it into my life. It's enthusiasm, excitement, drive and ambition, showing grit and determination and accepting that the only bad failure is the failure one doesn't learn and move on from. Passion is a zest for life, living it the best I can, the pursuit of happiness and having ownership of my thoughts and actions and the responsibility and discipline to do them even when things get difficult. It's about showing my partner how much I care, being the sort of man who can protect her, make her laugh...and other things. It's about doing anything for my niece and nephew and wanting to help them find passion and a bright future for themselves. It's about finding the time for people who need my help or protection, doing difficult things despite knowing I'll be judged for them, and it's about living to my concept of honour and integrity as I see them. Passion is about waking up early and going to bed late - wringing the most from the day - and passion is about celebrating when I win and re-evaluating when I do not. It's about having manners and courtesy, being a gentleman, but knowing when action and a heavy hand may be needed and passion is about knowing what I like and don't like and doing more of the former than the latter. It's about respect, truth and courage, it's about forgiveness, myself and others. Passion rules my life, it whispers to me in the dark, spurs me on when I feel like slowing down or stopping when adversity comes and it helps me lean forward into life knowing that's the only way to get the most from it - the only way to ensure that when I die I will do so knowing I designed and created my life, that I was the architect of my life. Passion is about laughter when things are funny and the ability to laugh in the face of fear and uncertainty and push forward nonetheless and passion is feeling fear but standing resolute to face it regardless. It's standing tall when others cower, stepping forward when others step back and passion is the desire to improve each and every day never resting on my laurels or saying, that's good enough. Passion is a celebration of life and everything it encompasses and passion is knowing that when I'm at my last breath I'll be able to say I lived well.

Passion is the platform on which I've built my life, it's intrinsic to my being and at the core of me; I inject it each day, inject it into my life, and cannot imagine a passionless existence. I wonder about others though, do they inject it and if so how? What does it mean to them and how has it impacted their lives. I pity those that don't have it and applaud those who have it. What about you? Where do you stand and why?