12 Ways to Steal Passion Like An Artist

Passion and purpose have always been strong motivators for me right behind not getting shot–again. There must be an equal balance of the two to achieve optimal results because a passion without purpose is akin to an untamed fire hose—it just sprays everything in its path with no direction, no guidance. Similarly, purpose without the passion to support it is the very feeling of creative tension we experience when we know what we want but take no action to “get there.”

It’s this latter predicament that proves unsettling—to be in the driver’s seat, map in hand, coffee mug full…and an empty tank of gas.

I contend that passion may be found by mirroring the artist. Think about it. Artists must be truly passionate about their work because it’s all or nothing. They either love! the painting they just created or tear up the canvas and start anew. There is constant refinement, never-ending improvement, and a perpetual desire to look for inspiration at every minute of the day. What a way to live, right?!

Passion without purpose is akin to an untamed fire hose—it just sprays everything in its path with no direction, no guidance.

Leaders are no different. Leaders require both purpose and passion to inspire others because both are infectious; social contagions that spread like laughter or a bad case of herpes (yup, I said it).

Of course being passionate is easier said than done, so let’s look at what artists must do to achieve their desired “optimal” state—and how we can steal it:

1. Passionate people work incessantly.

This is not to say that one’s work life is more important than one’s family life, but rather that the two co-exist. In other words, there is no such thing as a work-life balance; you either enjoy what you do and whom you spend your time with, or you don’t. You don’t just “flip” the mental switch from one to another when you walk in the door.

There is no such thing as a work-life balance; you either enjoy what you do and whom you spend your time with, or you don’t.

2. Passionate people create.

Artists take their imagination, turn it into an idea, create something tangible from it, and then put that creativity to use by innovating a new product. They are a one-stop supply-chain-shop who can take an idea and turn it into reality.

3. Passionate people inspire others.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve used “artsy” as an adjective to describe “those” types of people; those who are a little unique and willing to go against the social grain because they value whom they are. This is what inspires. People are inspired when they see others doing something they themselves would enjoy doing but choose not to.

4. Passionate people are curious.

They seek answers. They want to know why things exist or occurred to improve them the next time.

5. Passionate people find certainty.

Starting out at a blank canvas can be discomforting, but curiosity and a will to inspire drive passionate-bound people to create certainty where uncertainty exists. They’re not afraid to take the first few steps into chaos and yell back to the rest of the crowd, “Hey, it’s okay down here!”

Curiosity and a will to inspire drive passionate-bound people to create certainty where uncertainty exists.

6. Passionate people don’t ring the bell.

The challenge of becoming a Navy SEAL is almost household conversation nowadays. In BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training), every Navy SEAL wannabe (student) is a volunteer. If, at anytime, he (sorry gals) doesn’t enjoy running around with a boat on his head, carrying a telephone pole with his team, or sitting in 55 degree Pacific Ocean water for days on end without sleep, he can just ring “the bell” three times and say, “I quit.” Of the 174 students who started in my BUD/S class, only 34 of us (roughly 19 percent for all you “numbers” people) finished, because…

7. Passionate people are driven to win.

They’ve identified—envisioned—what winning looks like so all they need to do is fill in the gaps to get there. Artists don’t give themselves any other options; they must produce if they want to continue being artists (and inspire others, see #3).

[Passionate people have] envisioned what winning looks like so all they need to do is fill in the gaps to get there.

8. Passionate people adapt.

Much like the BUD/S student who adapts to the environment of SEAL training to pursue his purpose, passionate people are willing to fit the mold—any mold—if it means furthering his or her personal fire. They understand that it is possible to fit a square peg in a round hole by hammering it over and over until it fits, but they know the end state won’t look pretty. Instead, passion drives creativity such that the artist realizes he can chip away at the pre-existing peg until it’s ready to fit.

9. Passionate people believe in a “next state,” not an “end state.”

Failure is a mindset. It’s a mindset of endless pursuit to improve because failure—unless it’s death or taxes—is not an absolute state—only one’s mindset to accept it, is.

10. Passionate people practice constantly.

Nothing good ever comes overnight, and anything worth doing is worth doing correctly. I remember a saying one of our SEAL instructors used to say—in between curse words and other pithy comments that I can’t say here—which was, “There are two ways to do something: Right, and again.” Artists don’t settle for a mediocre expression of themselves. Instead, they hone their skills of focus, concentration, authenticity, and self-expression every day—something inherent of effective leaders.

Failure is a mindset. It’s a mindset of endless pursuit to improve because failure—unless it’s death or taxes—is not an absolute state—only one’s mindset to accept it, is.

11. Passionate people keep their work.

An artist’s past work serves as a source of reflection (and inspiration) to measure past lessons learned and overall improvement. Much like the after action review (post mortem) in the military where the intent is to examine any discrepancies between intended purpose and actual outcome, an artist compares his or her work to the source that defines “success,” where success in this case means matching product to purpose.

12. Passionate people perform.

Performance—superior performance—doesn’t come by itself but rather from consistency of practice and a willingness to learn. What enables learning is the desire (read passion) to throw ego to the wayside in light of the higher purpose (to improve).

Superior performance doesn’t come by itself but rather from consistency of practice and a willingness to learn.

Just as effective leaders practice the fundamentals of leadership daily (i.e. honesty, openness, integrity, courage), performance comes from the aforementioned confluences of passion. Nobody yields optimal results without a hint of passion.

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Jeff Boss

Jeff served as a Navy SEAL for 13 years across 8 combat deployments. He now works as a leadership and business consultant for the McChrystal Group, whose mission is to enable optimal performance by unlocking the latent talent within organizations. He also sits on the board of the SEAL Future Fund, a non-profit whose purpose is to help active duty and former SEALs with both educational and job assistance. You can find Jeff at one of his other online homes: www.jeff-boss.com or www.entrepreneur.com/author/jeff-boss.