Passion in Action

Passion is a thing that anyone wants to do, not for the money or any other thing but the mere pleasure and gratification for doing it.  Passion is a driving force, a source of dedication and innate energy that propels a person to do the things he loves.

Great men who excel in science, business, arts, Technology, and sports like Einstein, Bill Gates, Michael Jackson, Steven Jobs, Michael Jordan and our very own Manny Pacquiao, among others, made their way to excellence not because of mere talent alone.  An even greater inner hunger drove them to push themselves to the limits just because they love and enjoy what they do.  And it's not strange to see them doing it even when the rest have long gone to sleep. 

That's passion; passion that begets excellence, passion that makes one learn from experience, from others, and from his own mistakes.  Passion is the thing that gives one the power to formulate strategies then visualizes himself applying those in specific situations.  Through consistent practice, he masters them with or without the help of others and applies them naturally in real life.

That's how passion makes one a star in his chosen field or career.

As a child, I had this passion to play basketball to the dismay of my father who wanted to see bury my face in the pages of my textbooks or help him in the farm on weekends. 

We were living in an uptown agricultural village and I seldom see kids playing basketball because poverty drove each one of them to the farms to help their parents.  But it did not discourage me. 

I begged my mother to buy me a basketball so that I can play even when I'm alone.  When my father took me to the farm, my next destination as we got home after 4:00 pm was the public basketball court, where I played to my heart's desire after the big boys were through, which always happened after sunset. But I played nevertheless, until I can no longer see the ball.

There was a time when my father got so pissed off that he chopped my ball into two with a bolo.

But it didn't stop me.  I really loved basketball to the point that I was skipping lunch on weekends just to continue with my passion; I knew I would not be allowed to go back to the playing court once I got home.

I was about 16 or 17 when I began to reap the fruits of my efforts.  I became a village star for my "university" playing style.  During this time, I was already studying in the city and I just imitated and mastered the playing styles of my favorite university players. 

I was just one of the few boys from our poor village to get the chance to get a college education.  I am thankful that my passion didn't, although it almost, ruined my father's plan for me.

I did excel in basketball, the greatest passion I ever had.  I had a vertical leap of about two feet, I can take off from the free throw line and lay the ball in through and under the arms of taller defenders; and I can float for a few seconds, the way Michael Jordan did a few years later.

All my feats during those days are now part of a memory that I treasure.   They also made me realize that to pursue a dream, one must move and act.  I could have gone farther were it not for my stature that deterred coaches from taking me in.  I was only 5'0" then with a body that weighed only 110 pounds.  I am now 5'3" weighing 135 pounds. :)

But I had a second passion which I did when the weather did not permit me to play; and it is writing.  It's the passion that has opened a lot of doors for me after retirement - even if I don't possess a degree in journalism.