Although I'm not an avid fan of the show, Boston Legal, I did catch most of last night's series finale, and I couldn't agree more with the sentiment expressed by Shirley Schmidt, the character played by Candice Bergen, when she admonished members of the firm to be sure that, whatever they were going to do, they do it with passion.
While passion may seem an odd subject to discuss with lawyers, particularly in these difficult economic times, I submit that Bergen's character hit the nail on the head. Ultimately, you are at your best and you do your best work when you're passionate about what you're doing. When times are tough and the going gets rough, it's often passion that makes the difference and helps you persevere. If you're not passionate about what you do or who you do it for (or, better yet, both), the difficult times will seem that much more difficult. Everything becomes a struggle and much more stressful if your heart isn't in it - and that's particularly true when you're living from paycheck to paycheck and you're desperate for the money.
On the other hand, when you're passionate about what you do, it's reflected in every aspect of your work. While the passion itself is intangible, it leads to very tangible results. The old saying, "Do what you love and the money will follow" is more true than most realize. Of course, there are times (and now may be one of them) that you have to accept something less than your passion in order to make ends meet. If that's the case, find another outlet or activity to engage in and express your passion, and recognize that the job that brings in the cash enables you to follow that passion. Or express your passion for your clients, even if you aren't passionate about what you do on a daily basis. But make sure that passion is a part of your daily life. It's not a luxury - it's a necessity.
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