Passion in Work: What’s Your Ice-Cream?

Tanmay Vora
Updated on

Bringing our energy to work is not optional anymore. It pains to see people at workplace who seem to be dragging themselves with work assigned to them. They do it because they get a paycheck at the end of month and they do it only when someone asks them to do it. Work, for them, is simply a means to an end, and that is evident from the quality of their outcomes.

Our work can mean different things to us. For some, it is just a profession. For others, it is a passion. What your work means to you makes a big difference in your success.

I have interviewed hundreds of candidates so far during recruitment process. Some people do what they are doing because that’s what they got into. They were in by a chance and were pulling on. Others chose what they were doing and they clearly shined out.

During a recent interview, when I asked a candidate why he preferred software testing as his career, he gave a very interesting answer. He said, “Everyone likes ice-cream. Software testing is my ice-cream”. Thought provoking.

Bill Strickland wrote,

“Passions are irresistible. They’re the ideas, hopes, and possibilities your mind naturally gravitates to, the things you would focus your time and attention on.”

Our passion for our work is the source of energy, and this energy clearly translates into physical energy – the motive force that pushes us to initiate, to finish, to persist in between, to experiment and hence learn. This energy can be felt and seen as a sparkle in the eye when a person talks about/executes the work.

Doing what we love doing, and then doing it with passion is not only important for executing a job. It is our obligation to ourselves.

Vincent Van Gogh said it beautifully,

“Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” – Vincent Van Gogh

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Join in the conversation: Think about and tell us why you are doing what you are doing? What makes you tick? What’s your ice-cream?

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Related Posts at QAspire Blog:

Actualizing with the self
Great Quotes: Work and Play
Follow your Energies
Passion Power

9 Comments

One more nice quote about work and passion, “Do the work you are passionate about and capable of and the right job title will find you”.
I found it on internet, it kinda relates to this post.

Tanmay Author May 26, 2011

Thanks for sharing that quote Richa!

Deepa Shah May 13, 2011

Hey Tammy, this is excellent…truly inspiring, it really gets some of us motivated to get out of our comfort zones & have a more larger picture about us…Keep ourselves & the excel mode ON…

Tanmay Author May 26, 2011

Thanks Deepa – glad you liked the post!

kapil sharma May 18, 2011

Hi Tanmay,
well said and very well quoted fact…I think there are 2 aspects associated with this:
1. ur interest towards work & career. Thats more closer to passion
2. ur interest towards just money

I have an interesting observation n need u to validate n comment on same. Is it possible that we find a person who is highly passionate about his/her work, but the time to spend in office seems illogical or out of proportion!!! I knw this might confuse, bt hv u come across a situation wen a person is highly passionate, but rarely works for complete office hours recommended for a day’s work!!!

Tanmay Author May 26, 2011

Kapil, I have observed that passion breeds discipline. If it does not, passion does not help much. A lot of people claim to be passionate, but the real measure of passion is real accomplishments in the area of work. To accomplish anything meaningful, one needs discipline along with passion.

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