Passion...

When I was 13 I attended a careers day at the local hospital. I saw an ambulance and spoke to the officers and decided that I was going to be an ambulance officer. No problems, study what was needed to be studied and wait until I was 21 (you need a full drivers licence).

And that's what I did, studied biology, physical education and maths etc, joined the army as a medic when I was 17, worked as a nurse until I was 21, applied to the ambulance service and was accepted at 21.

Over the years things change and progress and now I am passionate about photography. All of my money is spent on photography, books, gear, film (yes, it still exists), monitors, printers, scanners and the single most expensive thing so far - the course... And, yes, it is keeping me broke at present. The hope is that the effort will bring the rewards.

I was speaking to one of my staff a while ago. She is currently studying paramedical science at uni and seems to me to be doing it quite slowly. There is an opportunity for students to apply for a job and receive more "on the job" training to compliment the uni course but she hasn't applied...

My question to her was "if this is what you really want to do why aren't you doing it?"

Her answer made me think about "passion" and what it means. She told me that to be an ambulance paramedic was her passion but that she didn't want to rush into it. She didn't want to take it to the next level (intensive care paramedic) and that she was in no hurry to start working as a paramedic.

I don't get it. My idea of passion is that it has an intensity of desire that means that anything that doesn't drive you towards it is ignored and neglected. The speed that you run towards your "passion" is as fast as you can possibly go and you only occasionally stop for breath.

What is passion? Passion is what drives you forward towards your dreams. It surprises me that there is a slow option...