Passion and Resilience

I've been reflecting recently on two forces that deeply affect my life: passion and resilience.

For 25 years, as I climbed the corporate ladder, I was a master of resilience. My grit, my ability to show up all the times I didn’t want to, my ability to persist and pivot after a crushing setback, to keep going when I was running on fumes and a prayer… that was my superpower. And honestly, it had to be.

📉 But resilience is the floor. Not the ceiling.

We all praise resilience. We should!

We survived COVID, for goodness sake - we didn't leave our hidey holes for 2 years (and no, I don't think most of us have truly recovered from that). But to me, resilience isn't a destination; it's the necessary, non-negotiable floor in your life. It’s the thing you need so you don't fall into the abyss, the foundation you pour when your whole world feels shaky.

Resilience keeps you on solid ground.

There were years where I was all resilience. I was tough. I was disciplined. I got results. But looking back, I was also running on fumes, deeply lonely, and constantly on the brink of burnout. I was surviving, not thriving. My resilience kept me from quitting, but it didn’t bring me joy. It was the unsexy, essential armor I wore just to make it through the day.

I had to learn the hard way that a life built purely on resilience is just a very efficient treadmill. You never fall off, but you're not actually going anywhere that lights you up, either.

... and that’s where passion comes in.

🚀 Passion is your compass - and your fuel.

If resilience is the floor, then passion is the sky. Not the ceiling, because that’s too limiting. Passion is pure, unbridled possibility - excitement, deep-seated joy, the kind of fulfillment that makes the daily grind possible.

Work that is born of passion brings a kind of fulfillment most corporate paychecks can’t. It's the difference between doing something because you have to and doing it because you love it.

Launching my podcast, and developing several other projects, aren’t acts of resilience. They’re acts of passion. They tap into my deepest personal desires: to connect and to help. I could have stayed on the comfy corporate path and continued to hold on for dear life, as I’d already done for so long. But the passion I have to share what I’ve learned, and hopefully make the journey easier for someone else, is the fuel that has me jumping out of the car each morning, after school drop offs.

Because weekday morning success (or survival?) relies heavily on the force of resilience. The first two hours of every school morning are filled with chaos, with emotions running wild.

And perhaps this last point speaks to the most critical lesson here.

⚖️ The Sweet Spot is a balance of forces.

To truly thrive, you need both passion and resilience.

• Passion without resilience is a beautiful, fragile dream that shatters at the first rejection, the first failed launch, or the first time your kid throws up right before a big presentation.

• Resilience without passion is a slow, soul-crushing march toward a goal that, once you hit it, leaves you feeling hollow (hello, arrival fallacy!)

The "sweet spot" I’ve found is to use my resilience to hold myself together when it feels like my world is falling apart, and to fiercely protect and pursue my passions. I’m disciplined, I'm committed to playing the long game, and I’ve learned to set emotional and sometimes physical boundaries so I can build a sustainable and satisfying life as I explore my passions. This is ultimately what is fueling me and my family, first.

It takes resilience to log off at 5 PM, because your passion for being present with your kids, your friends, or your Wednesday night pottery class is greater than your fear of a late email. And the passion of following your curiosity and excitement will help carry you through all the un-glamorous things in your day to day, not to mention the unexpected twists and turns of life.

My hope for you is that you can stop simply relying on your toughness to survive, and start using it as the stable base from which you launch into what truly makes your heart sing.

🤔 What's your passion, and where does it need a little more resilience to truly take flight?

I'd love to hear all about it! Shoot me a note through my Feedback page, or sign up for the newsletter and reply to me there.

💥 Break out!