Sources of Passion

Passion can be internally or externally derived.

Identify what or who around you can help you achieve your goals.

Internally derived passion is also referred to as natural born talent. You are good at doing something better than you can do other things and you can do it better than everyone one else. It could be singing, playing a musical instrument, cooking or playing football. The list is endless. There are different fields and different passions in the fields. Take for example the music industry. One person can be good at playing the piano, another at playing the drums or guitar and another person is good at singing. Good music can only be made if all these people meet and play together, right?

Natural born talent is passed on from one generation to the next. Here are some examples.

Kobe Bean Bryant is an American former professional basketball player and son of former NBA player Joe Bryant. Kobe Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career and was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the America. After graduation he got drafted on the NBA. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons and ranks third on the league's all-time regular season scoring and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career and is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Bryant is the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons.

Michael "Mike" Okoth Origi is commonly referred to as Mike Okoth. He is a retired Kenyan footballer. He was a striker and his professional career was spent playing in Belgium. He is the father to Belgian international footballer, Divock Origi. His older brother Austin Oduor Origi was a defender and captain for Gor Mahia and featured in the Kenya national football team, Harambe stars. His younger brothers Anthony Origi and Gerald Origi also featured in the Kenya Super League. The nephew and son to Austin Oduor, Arnold Origi, is a goalkeeper for Norwegian Tippeligaen side Lillestrøm and Harambee stars.

The Jacksons family featured Michael Jackson, other brothers and sisters who did very well and gain a lot of wealth and fame in the music industry.

Externally derived passion is passion influenced by the environment we live in. Passion can be influenced by our surroundings, what we see every day or what we listen to. Factors around us can ignite passion inside every one of us that probably we never knew we had.

You can take advantage of factors around you to explore your passion. You can also create your own opportunities so as to explore your passion. Let’s see some instances and examples where present factors or opportunities we create can forester passion.

Success and popularity from following your passion can present an opportunity to explore other passions. Before joining politics and becoming the president of America, Donald Trump gained much success as a real estate businessman and television personality.

George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is the 25th and current President of Liberia. Prior to entering politics, Weah was a professional footballer who played as a striker. He ended his 18-year professional playing career in 2003. After beginning his career in his home country of Liberia, Weah spent 14 years playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England. He played for Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City, winning the FA Cup at the former and winning Serie A twice. He moved to France to play for Marseille in 2001 before ending his career with Al-Jazira in 2003.Weah represented Liberia at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions, winning 60 caps and scoring 22 goals for his country. He is regarded as one of the best players that never played in a World Cup.

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is a successful Hollywood actor, filmmaker and former professional bodybuilder and power lifter before becoming the 38th Governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

Their respective successes in business, football and in Hollywood helped them explore their other passions of leadership to become presidents and governor in their respective countries. Since they were already household names and their fame span worldwide.

Riches and wealth from following your passion can present an opportunity to explore other passions. Gates transitioned from full-time work at his company to part-time work and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sir Richard Branson is a businessman and philanthropist.

Riches and wealth gained from following and succeeding in their business passions and ventures allowed them to explore other philanthropist work.

Exploiting power and positions of authority can help you realize your goals. Paul Kagame is the current Rwandan president and former military leader. He took office in 2000 when his predecessor, Pasteur Bizimungu, resigned. Kagame previously commanded the rebel force that ended the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He was considered Rwanda's de facto leader when he served as Vice President and Minister of Defence from 1994 to 2000.

Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. is a former neurosurgeon and author. After failing as a United States presidential candidate but his networking allowed him to become the current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, under the Trump Administration. It is therefore important that you build and make use of good networking.

In less established democracies and where corruption is rampant, presidents and other top officers in governments will appoint family members and friends to positions in government.

Academicians have always been nominated to government positions and international positions as advisors. If I did not concentrate well in school I probably would not have written this book.

Act of God and death. Such is the case for Andrew Johnson. Andrew Johnson was the 17th president of the United States. He served from 1865 to 1869. Johnson assumed the presidency because he was the then vice president when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

Following President Umaru Yar'Adua's death on 5 May 2010, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 6 May 2010. He became Nigeria's 14th Head of State.

By migrating new opportunities are created. The Kennedy family traces their roots as Irish immigrants but achieved a lot of success in politics and business in the United States.

Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama "Mo" Farah was born in Somalia but achieved success as a British distance runner and became the most successful British track athlete in the Olympic Games history.

In less developed democracies, power and leadership is inherited. Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician who has been President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since January 2001. Joseph Kabila Kabange took office ten days after the assassination of his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila.

Societal culture in Kenya teaches the youth at a very early age to study hard in school, get a good job and live a good life. Failing in school only meant that one failed in life and will go on to live a miserable life and be a burden to those who succeeded.

Culture has it that sons will succeed the king. Mswati III is the King of Swaziland and head of the Swazi Royal Family. He was born to King Sobhuza II and one of his younger wives, Ntombi Tfwala.

Other countries where royalty still rule include Bhutan, Monaco, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Liechtenstein, Brunei, United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Shakira is a Colombian singer, songwriter and dancer. Born and raised in Barranquilla, this influenced her style of music. She demonstrated Latin American, Arabic, and rock and roll influences and belly dancing abilities.

Diamond is a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist and dancer. He has had several award winning hit songs and won numerous Music Awards. He is considered influential in the music scenes and most loved and decorated East and Central African artist at the moment. Born and raised in Tanzania influenced his bongo style of music.

Politics and war can help fuel passion and raise leaders within communities. Do you know of any colonial fighters in the history of your country that were passionate about freeing their people and country from colonial rule and colonial operation?

When the Soviet Union broke fifteen countries declared independence and fifteen people passionate about politics and leadership got an opportunity to rise to power. The fifteen states were Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

When Yugoslavia was dissolved in the 1990s, six new states were created. These were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

Technology can also help fuel passions. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg became rich and successful when he co-founded Face book.

Koenigsegg became rich and successful developing, manufacturing and selling the Koenigsegg line of supercars.

Julius Yego was nicknamed "Mr. YouTube" because he learned how to throw a javelin by watching YouTube videos.

Family influences and traditions can motivate and inspire others in the family to be leaders. I come from a family that prides itself of having well educated members and made very good employees in various fields, until recently when some of us choose to go into business. Going to the office at a young age with my dad who was an accountant probably influenced me to later become an accountant.

Donald John Trump took charge of his family's real estate business and expanded it from Queens and Brooklyn. He expanded the business to Manhattan and beyond. The company built and even renovated skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses all over America.

The Bush family is an American family best known for its involvement in politics. The family has held various national and state offices spanning across four generations, including a U.S. Senator, Prescott Bush, a Governor, Jeb Bush, and two U.S. Presidents, George H. W. Bush who also had served as Vice President and George W. Bush who also had served as a Governor.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 22, 1963. He served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his presidency dealt with managing relations with the Soviet Union. As a member of the Democratic Party, Kennedy represented the state of Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate prior to becoming president. Joseph Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald, were the parents of nine children: Joseph Jr., John, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Ted. John served as the 35th President of the United States, while Robert and Ted both became prominent senators. Every Kennedy to hold elective office has served as a Democrat, while other members of the family have worked for the Democratic Party or held Cabinet posts in Democratic administrations.

Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta also followed on to his father’s footsteps to be the forth president of the republic of Kenya. His father Jomo Kenyatta was the founding father, served as the first Prime Minister of Kenya between, 1963 and1964 and first President of independent Kenya between 1964 and 1978.

Raila Amolo Odinga is a former Prime Minister of Kenya. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1992. He was the MP for Langata. He was Minister of Energy from 2001 to 2002. He went on to become the Minister of Roads, Public Works, and Housing from 2003 to 2005. He was the main opposition candidate in the 2007 presidential election, running against incumbent Mwai Kibaki. He was also the main opposition candidate in the 2014 and 2017 elections against Uhuru Kenyatta. His father was Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was a Luo chieftain who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He later served as Kenya's first Vice-President, and thereafter as the main opposition leader.

Whether it is by wealth, success, corruption, education, inheritance or by technology passion can be influenced by factors surrounding us. These factors make us choose to move along a certain direction and finally to our destinies. We have seen rich and famous personality help others in society, people taking advantage of their successes, power, networking, corruption, education, culture and family ties to rise in society and even pursue their passion to lead others. You too can do the same.

Identify what or who around you can help you achieve your goals.

Cheers,

Peter Kirimi Mburugu.

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