*Credit to Grey Fox who spurred the thoughts that bring you this post
Many of us have preached that emotion is something to be controlled. Kept under watch. That is true, but for a good reason.
All of us have goals, but the question is, why? What makes us different from machines? Machines are told what to do, they have no desires. The difference is that we do have desires. There is something in each of us that says, "I want XXXX." This something is emotion -- part of human nature.
Passion is a strong word, but I think that those of us with the most passion are truly the most human. Webster.com defines passion as, "a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept." Devotion. That's another strong word. When are you devoted to something, when are devoted to life, you are very human.
You just have to let passion guide you.
What? Passion? Emotion? Control me? Allow emotion to tell me how to act and who to be?
Yes.
And no.
Goals come from emotion. Desire. Passion. Each of us has goals and each of us devotes our lives to at least one goal, whether it is to become rich, to become happy, or to stay alive. Goals consume us. As long as there is a breath in your body, you are heading closer to some goal that you desire so much that you devote yourself to it. That is emotion.
Emotion is the driving force behind your goals. Emotion is your motivation. Your desire, your passion. Emotion is what makes you wake up every morning and keeps you putting up with all of the discomforts in life for the greater comfort.
To accomplish your goals to the fullest, this emotion cannot be restrained or ignored. This emotion must be allowed to command your every action. This emotion cannot be questioned, it is the ultimate decision maker. When you make every action devoted to fulfilling the passion within you, you will lead a happy life.
So what ever happened to using restraint with emotion? Why isn't logic the ultimate decision maker?
Logic is not the ultimate decision maker, it simply cannot be. Logic is a tool. Logic has no say in what you want. Logic helps you determine what you want.
You see, it is not always easy to determine exactly how the decisions we make in life will affect its outcome. You might have a passion for art, so your goal might be to pursue the life of an artist. The question is, when is emotion ok to listen to?
When you find out that your "friend" has stolen all of your artwork and run off to a foreign country to cash in on it, practically ruining your career, do you allow the emotion you feel so strongly to break you down and make you throw in the towel? Logic would say to cut your losses and keep going. But is that logic speaking, or is it your passion speaking? If your goal is truly to become a great artist, then you only have to identify that goal and allow logic to tell you what to do to take you there.
The goal is driven completely by emotion though, and THAT is the emotion you need to listen to. It's the difference between succeeding in the long term versus succeeding in the short term. If you listen to the emotion you feel so strongly about, the passion within you that tells you what you love and what you want out of life, THAT's when you will succeed. In the short run, making the irrational decision may make you feel better, but in the end it's no good. That's why it is irrational.
Emotion in its purest, greatest form is quite grand. "Follow your heart" is a valid suggestion. Just know where your heart is pointing.
Many of us have preached that emotion is something to be controlled. Kept under watch. That is true, but for a good reason.
All of us have goals, but the question is, why? What makes us different from machines? Machines are told what to do, they have no desires. The difference is that we do have desires. There is something in each of us that says, "I want XXXX." This something is emotion -- part of human nature.
Passion is a strong word, but I think that those of us with the most passion are truly the most human. Webster.com defines passion as, "a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept." Devotion. That's another strong word. When are you devoted to something, when are devoted to life, you are very human.
You just have to let passion guide you.
What? Passion? Emotion? Control me? Allow emotion to tell me how to act and who to be?
Yes.
And no.
Goals come from emotion. Desire. Passion. Each of us has goals and each of us devotes our lives to at least one goal, whether it is to become rich, to become happy, or to stay alive. Goals consume us. As long as there is a breath in your body, you are heading closer to some goal that you desire so much that you devote yourself to it. That is emotion.
Emotion is the driving force behind your goals. Emotion is your motivation. Your desire, your passion. Emotion is what makes you wake up every morning and keeps you putting up with all of the discomforts in life for the greater comfort.
To accomplish your goals to the fullest, this emotion cannot be restrained or ignored. This emotion must be allowed to command your every action. This emotion cannot be questioned, it is the ultimate decision maker. When you make every action devoted to fulfilling the passion within you, you will lead a happy life.
So what ever happened to using restraint with emotion? Why isn't logic the ultimate decision maker?
Logic is not the ultimate decision maker, it simply cannot be. Logic is a tool. Logic has no say in what you want. Logic helps you determine what you want.
You see, it is not always easy to determine exactly how the decisions we make in life will affect its outcome. You might have a passion for art, so your goal might be to pursue the life of an artist. The question is, when is emotion ok to listen to?
When you find out that your "friend" has stolen all of your artwork and run off to a foreign country to cash in on it, practically ruining your career, do you allow the emotion you feel so strongly to break you down and make you throw in the towel? Logic would say to cut your losses and keep going. But is that logic speaking, or is it your passion speaking? If your goal is truly to become a great artist, then you only have to identify that goal and allow logic to tell you what to do to take you there.
The goal is driven completely by emotion though, and THAT is the emotion you need to listen to. It's the difference between succeeding in the long term versus succeeding in the short term. If you listen to the emotion you feel so strongly about, the passion within you that tells you what you love and what you want out of life, THAT's when you will succeed. In the short run, making the irrational decision may make you feel better, but in the end it's no good. That's why it is irrational.
Emotion in its purest, greatest form is quite grand. "Follow your heart" is a valid suggestion. Just know where your heart is pointing.
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