Passion drives us!

Ask yourself a question : What is your ikigai? i.e. your reason to jump out of bed every morning. Everybody has a passion, or as the French call it, “raison d’etre” i.e. a reason for being. Having a passion gives us a purpose, helps us to bond with people and sometimes, takes us to new unimaginable heights.

Such is the story of T.J. Newman, who followed her passion for writing and went from being a flight attendant to selling her debut novel in a seven figure, two-book deal. Newman was on a Virgin America red-eye from Los Angeles to New York. She had this thought that the lives of all passengers and the crew are in the hands of the pilot alone. Newman was intrigued by the immediate idea and questioned the pilot on it later. It seemed to be the perfect plot for a thriller.

The most eye opening fact about this is that she wrote most of the idea on literal cocktail napkins and catering bills during long flights, using hotel pens, when the passengers were asleep. Newman had been writing stories almost all her life and tried bookselling before becoming a flight attendant but was turned down by dozens of agents. This book, “Falling” comes out in July 2021. She also jokingly claimed that she forgot to include a lot of lines just because the passengers interrupted to get a ginger ale. She tweeted about her passion saying:

Other such stories which inspire people everywhere include that of Dipa Karmakar, one of India’s most popular gymnast, who was handicapped by flatfoot, a condition which affects the quality of the jump. She was once rendered unfit for gymnastics because of her foot but impressed everybody with her incredible talent and passion. She became the first Indian Female gymnast to win a bronze medal at the 2014 commonwealth games held in Glasgow.

Another fantastic example is that of the English physicist Stephen Hawking. He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease at the mere age of 21. The disease was sure to hamper his ability to move and speak. He was passionate about science and research and thus, went on to make significant contributions to cosmology and the origin of the universe. His book, ‘A Brief History of Time’, set a Guinness world record by being the Sunday Times bestseller for four and a half years straight!!!!

This highlights the importance of passion towards something in one’s life and the desire to chase one’s dreams inspires us to move forward despite all challenges and obstacles in our path:))

Stay motivated!!!

see y’all soon