Solitude is always good for reflection and for the last couple of weeks I have thought much about the importance of passion in everything we do. I have been lucky enough to have great discussions with my own kids about their future direction and to meet young passionate people who are going after what they believe in.

We still have a society that expects young people to go through the same steps in life as our parents and grandparents did, even though our society has evolved greatly. Our education system is built for creating assembly line workers of all professions. The young people who don’t flourish in school are told nothing will ever become of them if they don’t finish university education like their parents did. This often creates great friction between them and their parents, rather than the parents finding new ways of helping kids harness their passion.

Passion is an amazing tool. It helps give us the drive to do seemingly mundane or difficult things, simply because we know they will allow us to achieve our passion. Passion can make us do what everyone else thinks is impossible. Passion also enables us to do what we believe in, rather than just showing online compassion for others in need.

An example of this is that for the past week, I have been lucky enough to follow online the journey of a young Icelandic girl who was vacationing in Bali, but saw the devastation in Sulawesi following the earthquake and tsunami that hit there couple of weeks ago. She decided to not just share images online and send thoughts and prayers to those affected, but to actually organize collection of relief items and then sail those from Bali to Dongala where they handed them over earlier today. Passion brings out the best parts of our humanity and gets us to ACT, rather than just think about it.

Passion also enables us to put in the hard effort required to achieve the vision we have for a better world. Having had the opportunity to mentor a number of startup founders and young people in the past, I can attest to the fact that those with the burning passion, the burning WHY they are doing all the hard things, those are the ones who will get far in life. Their road forward is not easy, but with passion burning in their hearts, they can overcome any obstacle life throws in their way.

For those of us with a bit of experience under out belt, it is a an honor and duty to help young people discover their passion and guide them along the way in harnessing it and be the ones who help that fire burn in their hearts, especially when they go through difficult times.

Every minute we give to them will be repaid thousand fold in a better world around us. I challenge my generation to truly start giving back to the young people around us, including our own children. It is the best antidote to depression, despair, and unhappiness in ourselves and it will make the next generation a force of power which will overcome all the crisis we and our predecessors have created on this earth.

Spending time with young people helping them discover their passion and achieve their goals, will namely help yourself discover what is important to you and what you yourself are passionate about. It will rekindle the love for your spouse, the love for your children, and the love for your own life. It will get you to question your own path in life and help guide you back on track towards your own passion.

Often a small compliment on the work they are doing, lending an ear to their worries and challenges, or a small push in the right direction is all that is needed to enable those amazing people to believe in themselves and their passion.

So go out there and give back to the younger generations, because it will come back thousand fold, not just to yourself, but to the world we live in

Published October 18th 2018 at LinkedIn