Living on the Edge

So I'm sitting in Kathmandu getting ready for my leadership trek and I'm re-reading "Sacred Mountains of the World" by Edwin Bernbaum one of my trek leaders. The passage I'm reading discusses how mountains both bring out both a sense of awe and a sense of dread.

It struck me (again) how we are drawn to things that are an enigma. We are drawn to people and places of contradiction (eg. a sense of awe and a sense of dread). Just as I am now drawn to the Himalayas and the base of Mount Everest. A place that both creates awe as well as the nervous tension of the unknown.

I've written about this before in a post on Concept Duality. A post on how we need both sides of the same coin to truly experience life. We need to live on the razor thin edge of certainty and uncertainty, awe and dread, stability and excitement. It even comes into play in our expression of self. We need to both be accepted by our peers and at the same time stand out and be enough of an individual that our groups (friends, family, co-workers) acknowledge our uniqueness (but not so much as to be ostracized by them).

The better we are at living on that edge the more juice we can squeeze out of life. And hence why I'm sitting writing this from Kathmandu and not San Francisco (can you tell, I tend to like the unexpected more than the certain).

So here is my question: Are you really satisfied?

Is your certainty satiated? Are you comfortable that the walls aren't going to give way, that the floor will stay under your feet, that your family is taken care of, that your career is going in the right direction, that your ??? is ???

Is your uncertainty satiated? Are you nervous enough about what tomorrow might bring that you can't wait until the sunrise comes? Are you uncertain enough about what you might do, where you might be, who you might meet, what you might accomplish, what you might ??? tomorrow that it pulls you from your slumber every once in a while and makes you pay attention.

If you're too certain about tomorrow then you'll be board. If you're too uncertain about tomorrow then you'll be terrified.

So here's the challenge:
- If you have too much certainty in your life ... rock the boat
- If you don't know where you'll be tomorrow ... take a breath, reset, and get to calmer waters

See you on the wire

- Steven Cardinale

Passion

Everyone wants passion. We want it in our business lives, our romantic lives, our personal lives. Who doesn't want to be with someone who is passionate? Ask anyone the question: "do you want to be passionate about ...?" or "isn't it cool to be around someone who is passionate about ...?" and the answer is always a resounding yes. Of course, since the opposite sounds a little stifled .... "no, I don't like passionate people, I'd rather live in a calmer less engaged environment."

But what is passion? I found a great definition in a strange place. A book on financial literacy. I was reading Robert Kiyosaki's book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and in it he defines passion as "anger and love combined." I think that is a great definition. Passion is the volatile chemical combustion of anger and love. So think about it, if we all want passion in our lives then what are we passionate about? What are we so angry that we'll change things, including our behavior to accomplish?

So here's the real question:

* "What are you passionate about?"

* "What makes you so angry that it pulls you from your slumber?"

* "What white hot intensity of love drives you?"

Don't confuse anger, love and passion with fear. They have the same adrenaline rush. The same endorphin high. But they generate very different behaviors and outcomes.

Passion is a drive towards something ... Fear is a drive away from something. They feel the same but the end results are very different. If you answer the anger part of the passion equation honestly, you'll be able to see drive vs. fear.

So what are you passionate about?

Don't be passionate about being mediocre, comfortable, average. Be passionate about something on the edge. Be angry that you're not on the edge. Be angry that your breath is not taken away every day. Be passionate about creating something.

See you on the wire.

- Steven Cardinale