Passion

I want to keep the topic themes alternating between Lotus Notes and the pursuit of excellence, however, I noticed that I'm a little light in the Lotus department, but wanted to get this 'pursuit of excellence' post in while it is current.

In my hometown newspaper today, there's an article on my old friend Rick and his obsession/hobby/business/love. Before I moved to the Twin Cities, I had my cars serviced at Rick's garage. What I loved best about getting my oil changed at White Glove was the chance to have Rick show me the latest restoration he was working on and give me the history behind it. Rick's collection of classic autos is an amazing sight to behold. But what I enjoyed best was listening to Rick talk about these marvelous machines. The way he talked about them brought everything to life.

Along the same lines is my uncle Jim and his passion for Colt firearms. Like Rick, Jim can tell you everything about a particular model and the passion that comes through sort of imbues a virtual personality in that inanimate object.

What Rick and Jim have taught me is that passion is what separates someone from being average in a particular area to being exceptional. I must say I don't have a hobby or an issue that I'm passionate about, but I do get a big charge out of putting together solutions to help solve a problem. I guess that's why I really like working with Lotus Notes/Domino.

What do you think about passion? Do you have it? Do you know someone who does?