“Passion is the fuel for life. It is a great source of energy and drive. It’s what makes us explore new vistas, develop new relationships and seek new solutions to perplexing problems. Unfortunately many people, especially men possess very little awareness of their deepest inner drives and motivations. For many people their passions have been buried under mounds of performance expectations, demands, responsibilities, temptations and activities” – quoted from the Halftime Roundtable participant’s guide.
Passions are what make us tick and to this effect, I came across the Passion spectrum, which has four points of reference to it. Most of us recognize hundreds of needs in our world, are sensitive to many concerns, and a few burdens catch our attention for a while. But most of us are deeply moved by one or two passions.
The above passions spectrum reminds me of Warren Buffet when he said that most successful folks say no to almost everything. Could that be their way of removing the needs, concerns and burdens in the world that are fighting for their attention? The fact is we can’t save the world but we can make the world a better place with our small contribution of value that we bring. And that’s made possible through our passions.
What we focus on expands and last week my passion for transitions and halftime manifested through a visit by my American pal from the Halftime Institute. I am a huge beneficiary of Marsha’s generosity. She has become my destiny helper of sorts. Ever since we made contact a year ago, she has tirelessly committed to supporting me (and Halftime Africa) to grow. That excites me because my passion is to help high-impact Africans transition successfully into lives of significance and impact. That’s how we will awaken the giant that is our beautiful continent. It became clear through the halftime program years back that my life was meant to unfold on this continent. So my agenda is to help folks find and live meaningful lives.
Last week Marsha and a small group of travellers passed by Nairobi on their way to the Masai mara after having visited Tanzania and Rwanda to see some good work going on driven by Halftime alumni living out their second-half calling. It was a tight schedule so she invited me to join her and her team at the Nairobi National Park as they toured our wild capital.
It was the perfect invite because of my love for wildlife. I joined them early Friday morning at the Sheldrick elephant orphanage located in the park. I’ve heard of it but never visited. This initiative was begun in 1977 by Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her late husband David Sheldrick. She passed away in 2018 and her daughter is now running the Trust. They are known for protecting endangered species, especially elephants and rhinos. Imagine one man’s passion has outlived him and decades later orphaned elephants are still being rescued, brought back to health and released back to the wild. What a legacy.
That’s what living passionately looks like. While on a tour of the orphanage that morning feeding those cute baby elephants I couldn’t help but wonder if the founder of this initiative ever thought it would come this far. We were given statistics of hundreds of jumbos who have been brought up by the Sheldrick Trust and released back into the wild. This struck a chord with me because I’m eager to use my love for nature photography for a cause, namely conservation and/or tourism.
We caught up with Marsha as we toured the orphanage and later had lunch as they waited for their flight to Mara from Wilson Airport. I posted some selfies with the elephants on my status that day and mentioned that life at 50 is elephant. I love Marsha’s big-picture thinking. It reminded me of one of my goals for this year, conducting a halftime roundtable out of Kenya, somewhere in Africa. I’m not sure how I will achieve that but it’s on my whiteboard already.
Imagine if we all worked our passions like David Sheldrick did. How better would both our lives and the world be? But that’s the easier part. As the statement above said, many people possess very little awareness of their deepest inner drives and motivations. You can’t commit long-term to a cause you are not deeply aware (and convicted ) of.
Bob Buford said that the fruits of our lives will grow on other people’s trees. It’s evident in the Sheldrick family tree. It’s still producing fruit long after the founder departed. I may not be aiming to have a Trust survive me but I like the idea of randomly planting my seeds in other people’s lives by using my gift to maximise for impact on others for a long time. That’s why I enjoy writing and coaching. Because of the feedback I get now and then but also feel that I’m pouring into others what I was gifted. That’s how we ensure that we die empty and if we do then it’s a celebration of a life/legacy well lived and not just a matanga (mourning).
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive”.- Howard Thurman, mentor to Dr Martin Luther King. David Sheldrick many years ago came alive by saving and helping elephants survive. It is still happening many years after his death.
Folks, what makes you come alive? The answer to that question holds the key to granting you the elephant (big) life you dream of.
Amen to that Lucas. As they say, we are know for our legacy (the lives we touched/the mark we left) and indeed that calls for being passionate about that one thing that desire to accomplish /see happen. Yes passion is action.
Timely message .Thanks Lucas.