Passion at Work: How to Find Work You Love and Live the Time of Your Life

Chapter 4. The Magic Bullet

Passion. Merely saying the word—how the consonants and vowels start emanating from your lips as they pucker and then end with a relaxed and sensual hush—evokes a myriad of powerful images, sensations, and emotions that link to a primeval and unquenchable energy within. Passion. A force so strong that, unbridled, it is dangerous. Recently, you might have noticed more uses of the word in advertising and corporate identity campaigns. “Your possibilities. Our passion.” Microsoft touts visually and verbally. “Refined with a passion,” extols Lexus in its Web and TV expressions. You might also hear about CEOs and others with Big Wigs extolling the virtues of working your passions.

“Okay, hold on now,” you say to yourself. “Something ...