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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Passion Paradox summary
Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success, and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life
19 mins
Brief summary
The Passion Paradox by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness explores the complexities of passion and how it can be both beneficial and detrimental. They offer insights into finding balance and avoiding burnout.
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The Passion Paradox
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Key idea 1 of 6
Passion has linguistic roots in suffering, and its biological mechanism ties in with addiction.
The story of passion is one that stretches back a long way. Although nowadays we tend to view passion as a term with positive attributes, this wasn’t always the case.
Passion finds its linguistic roots in the Latin “passio,” which literally means “suffering.” For much of its history, this suffering was exclusively associated with the passion of one person – Jesus Christ.
But, as for many other words, passion’s meaning changed over time. By the Middle Ages, passion was also being used to refer to the suffering of people other than Christ. And by the Renaissance, the term slowly took on non-negative connotations. Poets like Geoffrey Chaucer began to use the word to describe surging emotions in general, and it was Shakespeare who finally used the term in a more positive light to describe the uncontrollable desire one feels for another person.
The story of the term doesn’t end there, however. It took another couple of centuries for the meaning of passion to extend beyond people to activities or career choices. By the 1970s, phrases like “follow your passion” had begun to emerge; passion-seeking had finally become an important part of the average person’s life.
And the concept has only become more important since then, with Generation X and Millennials even more enthralled by fulfilling their personal passions than their baby-boomer predecessors.
Just like the word “passion,” the biological mechanisms of passion itself have both positive and negative connotations.
That’s because passion is regulated by dopamine, a powerful neurochemical that motivates us to do things. Once released by the brain, dopamine pushes us toward our goals and makes us crave rewards. Dopamine drives passionate people in their pursuits but also motivates drug addicts to satisfy their cravings.
Only the finest of lines exists between the personalities of extremely passionate people and those of drug addicts. That’s because while dopamine motivates us to pursue rewards, the chemical dissipates once we receive them. This, of course, leaves us yearning for more.
And, as with addictive drugs, the more dopamine we experience, the higher our tolerance for it becomes. We begin to set our goals higher and place ever-increasing importance on chasing our passions. And we’re never satisfied with the reward; it’s the process of reaching the reward that releases that sweet dopamine.
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What is The Passion Paradox about?
The Passion Paradox (2019) uncovers the biology behind passion and shows how you can harness it to help achieve your dreams. The thrill of following your passion has a more serious side, however, because it can completely consume your life. By following the authors’ advice, you can live a life full of passion while still avoiding pitfalls along the way.
Who should read The Passion Paradox?
- Young adults beginning to follow their dreams
- Passionate people who’ve hit a roadblock on their journey toward success
- Curious minds looking to understand the mechanisms behind passion
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