One Year Later, The 10 Most Important Lessons I've Learned About Passion

One year ago, as I sat on my couch with my computer on my lap, I clicked "Publish" and officially became an author. I released Crazy Enough To Try last April, and it was the culmination of months of hard work and hours of writing, editing, and reworking.

It was also the result of countless conversations, both those that were documented and included in the book, as well as informal ones with others. Throughout that time, and even more so over the past year, I have learned so much from speaking with people about their passions. Some think of it as a guiding principle that energizes you, while others refer to it as a burning, almost suffering for it, sensation.

I thought I would take this time to reflect on what I've learned throughout this project and how it might be applicable to your life.

Ryan BonaparteApril 15, 2014Passion, Real, Creativity, Book, Hobbies, Sharing

Conversations on Passion: Matt Stillman of stillmansays.com

Conversations on Passion is an interview series with those who have found and are living their passions in some form. If you'd like to be profiled, send me a note at ryan@crazyenoughtotry.com.

In April of 2009, I started an experiment in Union Square in New York City. I sit out there with two chairs, a table and a sign that says: “Creative Approaches To What You Have Been Thinking About”.

This is what I first read about Matt Stillman. I randomly came across his website, stillmansays.com, two years ago and then proceeded to read every one of his recounts of the conversations he had with the people who showed up at his table.

From coping with relationship issues to handling destructive pets to making important career choices, Matt's given creative approaches to the problems people bring to him. Drawing on the knowledge he's acquired of an absurd amount of facts and by looking at life through a slightly different lens than most of us, he's helped thousands of people think a little differently about the personal battles we face.

I recently had a chance to have a Skype call with Matt to discuss his own passions, how his life has led him to this point, and to get some creative approaches on how to find passions and incorporate them into our lives.

Ryan BonaparteMarch 6, 2014Conversations on Passion, Passion, Interview, Learn, People, Search, Sharing, Creativity

Sharing Our Passions With Others

Many of us have passions that inspire or motivate us to individual greatness. But very few passions are present in a vacuum. Our lives are filled with other people and we interact with them on a daily basis.

One way of finding and implementing our passions is through realizing where we can help others. Help doesn't have to be a volunteer effort or a free gift, but rather recognizing what others can benefit from what we bring to the world.

Ryan BonaparteDecember 12, 2013Passion, Sharing, People, Connect

Reach Out To Others Often

Don't hide your passions. Sharing your passions with others is a surefire way to find other people who are interesting and who may also share your enthusiasm.

This past Tuesday, I attended TEDxBoston 2013, and was blown away by the amount of passion and drive just floating around in the air. I will post some of my favorite talks once they are available, but needless to say, there are quite a few amazing things going on in Boston area.

The tagline of TED conferences is "Ideas worth spreading" and that is key. It's not enough to have an idea and keep it to yourself, it's also about sharing that idea with others. From sharing it, the idea takes on a mind of its own and morphs into something beyond your control, something that you couldn't even dream of before. From there you can harness it and run with it to create something wonderful.

Ryan BonaparteJune 29, 2013TED, Motivation, Sharing, Connect