The popular belief is that passion is just one thing - desire.

Sure - a wide desire is in the mix.

But passion is more than just a fortune cookie message with a set of cute pom-poms telling you to "follow your dream".

What’s less talked about is that Passion doesn't show up on a billboard or with fireworks.

It appears in the corners of your mind, your heart and your actions.

It emerges when & where it’s least expected.

The Fruits of Passion

For example…

Mel Robbins' backstory for her latest bestseller came from two words from one of her daughters on the night her son's prom.

This passing statement would later become the basis for a deep dive into science and the "Let Them” movement that changed millions of lives.

Creating Powered by Dyslexia wasn’t a thunderbolt either.

I was sitting quietly on the couch processing what I’d learned after watching dyslexic entrepreneur Dean Graziose share his success story during Covid.

In that moment of quiet processing - what others might call "diddly daddling" - something clicked.

Recently having confirmed my Dyslexia, it dawned on me that I could make Dyslexia Empowerment an online platform by combining what I learned from Dean, my countless hours of research and life experience.

Response-Ability

I hear dyslexics over 30 saying it all the time.

“I'm not good at anything”, “I’m not gifted or talented” or “I’m not passionate about one particular thing”.

Here's what most people miss: Passion often whispers, your Response-Ability is to listen.

There’s no parade or “feeling the Earth move under your feet and a sky that comes tumbling down”…

That's the Hollywood version...

I’m not saying it never happens that way…

But it’s most often a nudge coming from somewhere inside the house.

Passion Finder 

The real magic happens in the spaces between.

In music, you might find passion in between the notes and not the thundering bass or pounding drum.

Passion is found between raindrops, when you make connections or see patterns others miss, the moments you're so into something that time disappears, or when you get excited about how things work and not just what they do.

Closed Blinds, Open Mind

Years ago, when writing my first blog, I'd step away to the kitchen window when stuck. 

Cigarette in hand, I'd stare out until an idea hit - often rushing back before finishing my smoke.

I've since quit, but I seriosuly thought my creative sparks would disappear along with the smoke.

They didn’t…

But here’s the kicker.

The kitchen blinds were always closed. 

My neighbor's kitchen window faces mine. And to avoid stares during my Drifting and Daydreaming, I looked out through closed blinds. 

Basically - the equivalent of staring at a blank wall.

It wasn't the smokes or the non-existent view spurring creativity - it was the quiet.

“All of humanity's problems stem from one's inability to sit quietly in a room alone” - Blaise Pascal

In neuroscience, ‘diffuse mode’ refers to a state of mind where the brain is NOT actively focused on a specific task, allowing for a relaxed and wandering thought process.

For years, we've been scolded for this.

Teachers marked it as a problem. Bosses saw it as slacking. Parents told us to stop fiddle faddling.

But what many call a distraction is our mind's natural problem-solving mode. 

Those aren’t catatonic moments - they’re when patterns reveal themselves and solutions come together. 

Passion is Permission

At Powered, Passion is Permission - permission to process differently, think differently and/ or succeed on your own terms. 

For dyslexics over 30, this could mean:

• Permission to solve things your way

• Permission to trust your different wiring

• Permission to see patterns that others miss

• Permission to let your mind work as designed

  
  
  
  

Mind Your P and Q: Passion and Quiet 

What looks like "wasting time" to others has launched million-dollar innovations, solved impossible engineering problems, and yes - helped countless dyslexics find their way forward. 

That conversation you've been avoiding? That project that seems impossible? That promotion you're eyeing? 

A solution might be waiting for you - inside a quiet moment.

So I triple dawg dare you.

To stare at the wall.

And look out that window…

Your mind wants to drift so that it can deliver.

What if you let it?