I was listening to an old Al DiMeola track the other day, called "Passion, Grace & Fire". If you haven't tried Al, you should.
Anyway, the title of the piece keeps running through my head, and it strikes me as an interesting and admirable combination of elements.
Passion is word which is used in confused ways - to describe physical encounters, deep commitment to a cause, or even misanthropy. Yet, in its best form, I think passion is a way to describe those beliefs which are held so firmly and centrally that they inform the very act of our being, and spill out into everything we do.
I know some very passionate people.In some cases they are people of deep faith, sometimes they are so caught up in their ideas that the rest of the world ceases to exist, and in others their passion is a reflection of the clarity of purpose with which they live their lives. Recently I saw a large group of people who were so passionate about a cause that they were prepared to give up 5 days of their normal lives to deliberate about a future direction in which to exercise that passion. The difference (and admirable bit) was that the cause had absolutely nothing to do with their welfare, tax rate or standard of living. And they were prepared to engage with the issue at hand simply through their passion for others.
I know a woman (a former work colleague) who had (hopefully she still has!) the capacity to view every task and project she was involved in through the lens of her passion for the organisation we work(ed) for. Her passion for the "cause" reflected in an excitement and energy which provided great heat and momentum for the people around her, and as such she was a great team builder.
She also had a great respect for the ones around her who maybe didn't quite share the passion or weren't as "full bottle" as she was. To me, this was the Grace element. Even in vigourous discussion (argument?) she maintained the position that the other person's view was as worthy as hers (at least thats how it looked). The grace with which she carried on her role was the quiet, steady steel rod in her back which made her position on things (almost invariably) the right one.
As for Fire, I think it relates closely to the passion. We even read about "firey, passionate" people.Unfortunately, most fires eventually go out. They run out of fuel; in the case of people, they run out of passion. What makes the fire sustainable is the combination of the grace and passion. My colleague used that combination to create the heat to inspire the team around her and sustain us all.
That woman has resigned from my workplace and moved on to a new role to stretch her talents. By the words of gratitude and praise which were spoken by various (usually quiet) team members at her farewell, its clear I'm not the only one who saw the passion, grace & fire I've described. I miss her.
But, what her leaving prompts in me, and I hope in others, is the desire to re-identify the things I am passionate about, to learn how to be gracious about them, and to generate heat to get things done.
How's your Passion, Grace & Fire?
(oh, & make sure you check out Al DiMeola!)
