Is your passion hurting you, or helping your cause?
Being a passionate firefighter is awesome. When you enjoy what you do for a living that much, its not work.
How many people do you know who look forward to going to work everyday?
So how can something so great as being passionate about what you do, actually hurt you?
It comes down to how you are acting.
I’m going to explain below.
I want to tell you two stories about two different passionate firefighters.
The first story’s going to be about an individual who seems to almost have a chip on their shoulder.
They have this attitude of:
“Why aren’t others passionate?
Why aren’t they doing what I’m doing?
Why aren’t they helping out in the department, and why aren’t they going to the extra trainings?”
People do not like to feel bad.
People do not enjoy hearing others complain.
In turn, they’re turning their fellow firefighters off.
More time spent frustrated.
Missed promotional opportunity because they refuse to get the requirements their contract requires.
They have very few people following them.
So are they achieving what they desire?
The second story’s about a passionate firefighter who simply decides to do what is needed to bed done.
A degree required for promotion? Fine, I’ll get one.
I have to get various certification courses to advance? Fine, I’ll get them.
They may not like the courses or value them, but whats the end game?
They take the courses.
They get the position.
They make that rank that they want.
They start getting followers, building more likeminded people.
The people assigned to them then become acting officers.
They go on to other stations and help make those stations better.
Who’s winning?
Both passionate firefighters, right?
Except one is almost turning against the rest of the guys instead of attracting them.
While the other is trying to attract and build.
So you have to ask yourself:
“is the passion that you have making people want to follow you and do what you do, or is it making people run away from you?”
Sometimes we ourselves can be the actual problem when it comes to our struggles.
So ask yourself: which path are you taking?