I really didn’t like the word ‘passion’. The sound of the word drums up mental imagery of self-promoting attention seekers peddling their unrequested resume whilst engulfed in atmosphere invading scent of potpourri that leaves a plastic slick in your mouth.

About a week ago, I was talking to a training buddy about his plans of getting a full arm tattoo soon. He described a standard issued yakuza package of koi and dragons. I told him about a chef called Sean Brock that has the most amazing full arm tattoo made up of sliced radish, basil leaves and just about every vegetable and herb you could find at a weekend market. Although an arm looking like a salad is not something that either of us were going to get, we talked about how incredible it is when someone is passionate about what they do. Even if it’s not something that we find enjoyable, it is always enthralling to listen to someone talk about their passion.

There is was. The word ‘passion’. There was no better way to describe it. The love for a pursuit that is entirely personal.

In my opinion. People without passion, live blank lives. They have no hobbies and endlessly chase the never ending cycle of expectation. They grow into beings that feed on their peers for entertainment. They watch copious amounts of television because it simulates activity. Their conversations are accepted routines of non-conversation refined over years of disengagement. Their likes and dislikes are always in line with the latest trends and often their opinions are a regurgitated sound bite of a respected peer.

I define a **hobby as essentially an activity that you are passionate in. Only when we have passion for a hobby do we discover depth in the way we are able to understand a topic, or a sport, or an activity. This phenomenon occurs because we put in the time to learn and condition our bodies to adapt, even though the world doesn’t reward us. Our confidence in all aspects of our lives grows as we live in the strength developed through dedication to our hobby and we start to see how we are different from each other and immensely appreciate the uniqueness that sets us all apart.

The word ‘passion’ still “erks” me. It could simply be because there’s a double ‘s’ and I have a lisp..

So, in summary. Hobbies. Passion. Get some. # iAmAlive #LLF

** Just to clarify my definition of hobby. It is an activity with endless room for improvement that you willingly dedicate your time, effort and body to without reward. Eg. For all my Singaporean friends and relatives, shopping is NOT a hobby. You do NOT getting better at exchanging money for planetary finite resources. Watching movies is NOT a hobby. You are sitting there starting at a screen watching someone else pretend to have a life more meaningful/eventful than yours, let’s be realistic. It’s not something you improve in. However, making movies is absolutely a hobby. Acting is a hobby.

Dexter – Get Real coach and ALIVE director