Why Passion is Synonymous with Presence

At some point, you’ve probably heard that you should “pursue your passions.”

The logic usually revolves around concepts of finding happiness, success, or aligning with your higher purpose.

While it’s admirable to want to follow your dreams, believe it or not, this logic is simply surface level.

The reasons above are not why your pursuit of passion matters.

Success, happiness, and higher purpose are only byproducts of the actual goal, which is presence.

To fully understand this, you must have a clearer picture of what passion is relative to your presence.

What is Passion?

Within this context, it is a strong liking, desire for, or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.

The word “devotion” is the true essence of a man’s masculine presence.
To be devoted is to be utterly loving or loyal towards something.

For example, think about one thing that you go crazy for, seriously, do it.
Visualize the thing that sets your spirit on fire, maybe it’s sports, art, or even science.

Now imagine having a conversation with someone who has no knowledge of this thing that you can’t live without.  Imagine explaining, in-depth, everything about it to this person and why you love it so much, and after 10 minutes of your ranting, they look at you blankly.

“I don’t know man, that sounds pretty f@#cking stupid,” they reply.

Be honest, how would you react?

Most likely you’d take that personally, as though that person just said “I don’t know man, you sound pretty “f@#cking stupid.”

They didn’t say that and yet, in that scenario, it will always feel that way.

That’s because when you are devoted to something your belief in that thing becomes inseparable from your identity; the entirety of the concept becomes tethered to the deepest parts of your soul and psyche.

That’s why riots happen after sports games, win or lose, and why actors sometimes endanger or even lose their lives preparing for roles.

You essentially embody that thing which you are so passionate about.

And it is through embodiment that your masculine presence is refined and polished.

The path is laid out as such: passion becomes devotion, devotion becomes embodiment, and embodiment becomes presence.

Simply put, your passion is the bridge between the most stagnant and the most authentic versions of yourself.

And the vehicle that gets you across that bridge is expression.

Express Yourself to Expand Yourself

Here’s an absolute truth.

An expressionless man is a volatile man.

Men all possess this thing called Masculine Potential Energy, which can be defined as the highest capacity of influence that you as an individual man can produce in yourself, as well as the highest capacity of influence that we as men can collectively produce in the world.

When you don’t outwardly express the things that you are devoted to, you not only limit the amount of potential influence your masculine presence can exert on the external world, you run the risk of losing your own presence, your sense of self, to the influence of the external world.

An expressionless man can become anyone’s puppet, made to be devoted to the ambitions of another simply because he is not devoted enough to his own ambitions.

It is for that reason that you are to not only express your devotions but you are to do so LOUDLY.

Point blank, people SHOULD know what you’re about.

That doesn’t mean that you should brag about yourself, just don’t hide your fascinations.

Your style is your style and you must learn to be proud of that. Once you can do that, you’ll unlock an entirely new level of being yourself.

Here are 3 big benefits that a man who is deeply rooted in what he loves can expect to experience:

1. Clarity

The more that you express who you are and what you love, the more decisively you can show up for yourself. When you know what lights you up inside, then making choices about the direction that you want your life to go in becomes much easier.

Alignment becomes a much easier state of being to achieve because you are fully aware of what it is that would bring you to that state.

2. Attraction

Passionate men are attractive to other people, both in the platonic and romantic sense of the word. And why is passion so attractive? Well, that’s because the presence of a man who is enthralled by his fascinations is downright magnetic.

Have you ever listened to someone speak about something that they’re absolutely crazy about? It’s easy to get drawn into their enthusiasm and lose your sense of time and self, it’s honestly quite admirable.

You might think to yourself, “I wish I had something I could get that excited about.”
Luckily, you do, everyone does.

3. Momentum

The more devoted you are to something the harder it is for others to throw you off your balance and draw you away from it. Passionate men are not disturbed by naysayers, doubters, and the like.

There is a special kind of certainty that comes with intimately knowing your obsessions, but even more so, that certainly carries over, subconsciously, into your everyday demeanor.

You show up with more confidence, fortitude, and can endure more to achieve your goals. Once you dive into that particular thing, you don’t stop until you’ve achieved or completed something!

Overcoming the Limits of Your Passion

There are very real scenarios where you might feel like you’re ill-suited for something despite how much you love to engage with it.

For example, let’s say that you love football and have been playing it ever since you were a child. You’ve always wanted to play for the NFL, however, physically you don’t have the capabilities to keep up with the league’s cutthroat standards.

It’s because of this misalignment between personal strengths and passions that many men give up on pursuing their interests. The common thought is that while they love this activity or concept, they aren’t good enough at it to make a career out of it, so to pursue it long term wouldn’t make sense.

To pursue it would be unrealistic.

However, let’s get one thing straight, that’s BULLSH#T!

If your strengths don’t align with what you’re core being is devoted to, you simply need to approach your devotions from a different angle.  What you’re passionate about does not necessarily determine what you do, but it should determine where you do it.

If you’re passionate about football but physically lack the muscle and stamina to make it in the league, then figure out how you can use your strengths to align yourself with football.

Football isn’t just sweaty men tackling each other, after all.

It’s an entire organization formulated around the sport. There are sportswriters, in-game and post-game commentators, coaches, cameramen, and referees. None of these people are cut out to play the sport professionally yet all of them have made professions out of the sport because they are equally as passionate about it as the players themselves.

They did not deny it or try to be “realistic,” they expressed themselves and followed the results of that expression until it led them to their current positions.

You too must do the same, tap into the potential of your masculine energy through self-expression and you will influence the world in amazing ways. People become passionate about football, or any sport for that matter, because of how deeply all of the men involved in ALL of its aspects embody the sport.

Stephen A Smith, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady…

Three different men, three different sets of unique talents, all coalesced around the same focal point, and the presence they bring to their mutual passion is what inspires others to do the same.

That is true embodiment; a presence that is so secure and deeply rooted in itself that it inspires others to be the same way.

That is why you must express yourself and the things that you love. By doing so, you will give others the strength and courage to do the same.

That is the true essence of a man, a leader by example who commands action without saying a word; he simply goes about his business, and those who see him follow suit and emulate.

So what are you devoted to?

Have you fully given yourself to it?

Are others aware of your devotion?

Think about your answers relative to your masculine presence, because truthfully, if you can find that sweet spot where natural talent and inner passion collide, you will show up as an entirely different kind of man.