Purpose through Passion

cc flickr photo by azjd14

Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success.  When you do a thing, do it with all your might.  Put your soul into it.  Stamp it with your own personality.  Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object.  Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today I had the opportunity to spend time in a passionate educator's classroom.  I witnessed the teacher's enthusiasm, and energy, translate to student engagement, collaboration and critical thinking.  As I watched the kids working, I considered how fortunate we are, as educators, to work in a profession where we have the opportunity to touch lives, and be difference makers, on a daily basis.  

You certainly don't have to be an educator to understand the role that passions play in our feelings of worth, and purpose.  Consider the following piece about Izzy Paskowitz, a former professional surfer, who -- due to life circumstances -- found a new reason to pursue the sport he loves.  It is a powerful story of finding purpose in a personal passion.

Surfers Healing_the Izzy Paskowitz Story from Gabriel Noble_TRU FILMS on Vimeo.

As we return to our classrooms, welcome students to our buildings, and settle into our daily routines I would suggest that we would be well advised to heed the advice of Emerson -- "be active, be energetic, and be faithful."  Our efforts, and enthusiasm, might be what our students need to discover their own passions...and, perhaps, even purpose.  In the words, of Howard Thurman:

Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.  And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.