Passion:  intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction

A person can have a passion for many different things; passion for the work they do, passion for a calling, passion for a person or persons. Embracing those passions means pouring your heart into them. Doing things that support your passion because of those intense convictions. Supporting people you are passionate about because of those intense convictions. Doing them regardless of what you get in return. Because just fulfilling those passions feeds those convictions.

I’m sometimes asked what it means to be a Salesforce MVP. That it’s considered a prestigious award in the Salesforce world and what did I ‘do’ to get it. What others can ‘do’ to get it.

But it is not so much an award as recognition. And, in this day (and political climate), the Salesforce MVP program is (unfortunately) an anomaly. Something out of the norm. People are recognized as Salesforce MVP’s because they have an innate passion for helping others in the Salesforce Community. They answer questions, write blog posts explaining things, teach people, give of their time and knowledge. And (here is the kicker) they do it because they have a passion for the Salesforce Community. The Ohana. They’ve learned from others and are giving back to the community that helped them by helping others. They’ve realized their passion and they feed their passion. Not because of any award, or recognition. Because of that passion that they have. By fulfilling their passion they feed their own convictions.

Salesforce as a company took note of these passionate community members and chose to acknowledge it and embrace it. They recognize the people being driven by those passions and developed a program to help them in the fulfillment of their passions. They provide opportunities to speak, resources and support for these community members who are so passionate.

If only this concept wasn’t an anomaly. If only it was the norm.

If people were supported just for doing what they are passionate about what would our world be like today? Think on that.

If our children grew up understanding that it was your passion for something that defined you. Not popularity. Not awards.

That instead the kids that are the most passionate about a subject or a sport or an extra-curricular activity were given roles as leaders.

Not because they are the smartest or strongest or most talented or most popular, but because they have an intense, driving conviction about that subject/sport/activity and poured themselves into it and as a result they were supported as leaders.

How do you think that would change the subject/sport/activity group? Do you think the other members would recognize that it was passion that mattered? Do you think that others would, in turn, develop their own passions – regardless of ability? That people without passion (regardless of their inherent talent or perceived popularity) would sink to the bottom and those with a passion would rise to the top? That kids would put more work in, more time in, and be genuinely happier because they have found and are feeding their passion?

Teaching people that by embracing their passion they can make a difference.

How would our political landscape be changed if passion were what we lifted up. What we perceived as important. What we rewarded with support?

Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, Salesforce is not the norm. Supporting people who are passionate about something is not the norm.

We regularly award people based on talent (regardless of their convictions). We regularly award people based on popularity (regardless of any drive they might have). And those are the people who end up with the support. Not the ones who do things because they love them. Not the ones who work hard every single day because of that intense, driving conviction about what they are doing.

They do it anyway. They build their own support systems. And they do it anyway.

Think about what you are passionate about.

Do you feed that passion?

Think about what your kids are passionate about?

Are you teaching them to feed those passions regardless? That by feeding those feelings and convictions they are filling their own buckets?

Are you acting as a support system for the kids that are passionate about something? Or are you supporting those that have no passion? Those that will ultimately find a different passion and move on?

Because people with passion for something are special. They do for you – just because.

What could they do for you – just because – with an extra heaping of support?

They could change the world.