And something I’ve recognized after ten years of working with people around meaning and values is that it takes time and energy to sort through what’s truly of value (and let go of what seemed to be of personal value but was really handed down from family, society, etc), and then in turn put those values into action to live a values driven life. Passion seems so much more fun! Actually, passion seems like magic compared to values. And people do want that magic. A few years ago I started telling new clients that no one has magic to give them, but they have it within themselves and we can work together to unearth it. They don’t always like to hear that, but it does open them up to focus more on values and less on the magic promise of passion.
Patty – Why Not Start Now?´s last blog ..Introducing Meaning Mondays

I did a lot of reflecting during but also since writing this and a lot of learning, too. Actually, some of that reflecting was initially sort of uncomfortable!! I think that’s because we (myself included!) have been encultured to see passion as mostly positive and NOT really to question or explore it, just rather, to seek it… And perhaps it’s that sort of sentiment too, that may in part account for the relatively little research out there on it. Cheers, Miche

“If we are always in an agitated, stressed, or fast-moving state, it is impossible to trigger our awareness”… so true! (Barring of course some profound sort of experience that jolts us out of that “swirling” mess). I think you nailed the whole marketing thing and the great paradox with the message of strength and what that can mean in the long run, a “weakness” for a heightened emotional state.

Though “calmness”, some “mindfulness” and other such terms have also been creeping into the public discourse and marketing trends (albeit without the allure and intensity of the passion stuff) I also think they are a tougher sell, too, as is self-discipline, though I totally agree with you. “Self-discipline” sells as a key to “success” in that crazy “swirl” (I do love that line); “calmness” and “mindfulness” as a temporary reprieve from it. The appeal of these things as a way of life in general (as well as “awareness”) dulls in comparison to the shiny, glittery excitement “passion” tends to evoke. Whether we’re seeking to “win” or “triumph” over that swirling fester or just looking for a temporary reprieve along the way, we’re often still caught up in it… and passion itself, though it may feel good, isn’t the way out of that at all.

Awesome comment! Cheers, Miche