Ninja’s Can Be Passionate Too, You Know!

So, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the word “passion” lately.  Webster’s Dictionary defines passion as “intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction” as well as “ardent love”.  Hmmm….ardent love?  I’m starting to think of a Harlequin Romance novel…me in a flowing dress, some hunky guy holding me in his enormous arms, the back drop of some surreal vista, a gentle breeze blowing, a passionate kiss…(snap out of Trish, snap out of it!)

So, after my …ahem….diversion, I came back to reality and started to think about what I am passionate about.  Many of you may not know that this Ninja started out as a classical musician – and that music was my driving passion for many years.  I was always convinced I would be a great Maestro on a huge stage, conducting the world’s finest symphonies.  (Hey, am I talking about a Harlequin Romance novel again?  Me in a flowing dress, the New York Philharmonic my backdrop, as I wave my diamond-encrusted baton in fevered passion at them.)  It is strange, the paths we Ninjas take, but I am glad my path wove through the amazing world of music and taught me passion, dedication, and teamwork.

Anyway, I digress!  Today I decided to take a last minute outing to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (www.slso.org).  I wanted to see their rendition of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F Major and Elgar’s Enigma (Op. 36).   I watched enraptured as the conductor led this talented group of musicians through movement after movement.  The way he conducted, his body movement, they way he lead them with such conviction and fervor through each piece was undeniably awe-inspiring.

There I sat, hunched over – watching intensely – forgetting to breathe.  My mind was drifting off to far away places.  I was so in the moment.  Afterwards, I walked in a daze from the gorgeous Powell Symphony Hall and I started to think about passion and what it meant to me.  Yes, I am incredibly, INCREDIBLY passionate.  (YES!  Ninjas can be passionate, let me assure you!)

What am I passionate about?  I am deeply, deeply passionate about music.  (Don’t even get me started on the new U2 album – No Line On The Horizon – that was released and how THAT makes me feel!)  I am passionate about helping others (www.edglenhabitat.org) and making the world a better place to live, I am passionate about life, and kindness, and going through this life sucking the nectar out of it.   I am passionate about my company, and I am most passionate about my clients and helping their companies grow.

I have a zest for life – I see passion and feel passion everywhere.  I am the kind of Ninja who rolls all the windows down in her car on the first warm day of Spring and sings at the top of her lungs, hair furiously blowing, devil-may-care attitude toward passersby.

I started thinking about the people I surround myself with – my friends, employees, colleagues, clients – and I noticed there is a common theme among all of them.  We are ALL passionate about SOMETHING in our lives.  I tend to gravitate toward people who are extremely passionate, and passion seems to drive our projects to take on a life of their own.

I started thinking back over my favorite clients over this past year – and my very, very favorite are the ones who walk in like a whirlwind.  They know what they want, they have a specific vision, and they aren’t gonna stop until they get it.  You listen to them and you believe – you believe in their product, in them, in the world – hell, you’d believe in Communism if they told you to because they are so damn convincing.

These are the people – these passionate, amazing people – who are going to change the world.  They are the ones who dream up innovative products or ideas; they are the ones who step up to the plate and enact positive change in the world; they are the ones who dare to dream, who never see failure as an option, who will rise to any occasion when asked.

I love these people – my friends, colleagues, employees, and co-workers.  They are the symphony, the soundtrack of my life.  And when I am riding around in my convertible, hair blowing into a 1980’s Tawny Kitaen-like rendition, these amazing people make up the symphony of my life.

Let me leave you with this thought.  Go forth, and BE PASSIONATE!!!