April 9, 2009

Passion for the subject

"In almost any subject your passion for the subject will save you".
~ William James (source)

4 comments, click here to add your comment:

Nikolay Tsvetkov said...

I believe this to be true, but then again, how can one develop passion for his chosen subject? :)

Coert Visser said...

Hi Nikolay,

Thanks for your comment! Yes, there is a chicken and egg problem there, isn't there? But, ok, once you know what your passion is, you can follow it and it will further develop, I guess.

By the way I myself would put it slightly different than William James. What works well for me is to follow my fascination. And the nice thing about it is that this isn't a fixed thing. It constantly develops. My fascinations always seems to stay ahead of me. So I can keep following it. This keeps me busy and interested.

all the best,
Coert

Patricia van Casteren said...

I think a true passion
is rarely chosen but just emerges when you get inspired by someone or something. True passion generates energy and is contagious:
"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel" (Quote from Carl Buechner)

Coert Visser said...

Hi Patricia, Yes, it is emergent and it develops in unpredictable ways