“Passionate Souls see their calling as a central purpose in life – a movement outward

into the world. It has a certain noble quality; some would even describe it as divine.”

Live with Passion!

Following Your First Best
Alternative in Life

By Steven H. Cady
Illustrated by Karen N. James

THE PASSIONATE SOUL UNCOVERING THE SIX WAYS

I sat with my dad, Robert, he on the couch and me on the As I study the concept of passion, I have concluded that
floor next to him. Running his hands through my hair like he society uses the word passion as a sort of blanket statement
did when I was young, we watched a television show on dol- about a variety of things. It is everywhere. Books line bookstore
phins. He loved shows like that. We talked of old times. Dad shelves on self-help, spirituality, and personal growth. From my
reminisced about his life… and said, “If I had it to do all over experience, people have an insatiable hunger for information
again, I would have been a marine biologist.” Two weeks later, that can help them realize their dreams, improve their life, over-
my dad died… having lived most of his life as the Branch Man- come obstacles, change habits, make choices, and find purpose.
ager for a company providing credit for car dealers and buy- When I first began conducting research on passion, I did not
ers… his second best alternative.
My sister, Robin, sent me an email the other day asking for
CONFERENCE CONNECTION
advice on how to help her Downs syndrome organization come
together to decide on their future. She is on the board and is Steven H. Cady, Deanna
working to build awareness in her community. As I read the Hogenson-Ball, and Stephanie Jo
Gomez are presenters at the 2004
email, I had this image of Robin at about 10 years old. She is
OD Network Annual Conference in
holding a four-year-old child in her arms, biting her tongue as
San Juan at the following Pre-
she carries this child that is more than half her size. Robin loves Conference intensive:
children, particularly children with disabilities. Robin has pur-
108PRE Living Your Passion:
sued her first best alternative in life – her passion. She went to Skills and Strategies to Unleash
school to learn and then on to teach special education focused Your Core Competencies
on mainstreaming children before the first grade. She has been Friday, Oct. 1, 1-5 pm; Saturday,
teaching for over ten years. Recently, my sister gave birth to Oct. 2, 9 am - 5 pm; Sunday, Oct. 3,
Robert Steven, a beautiful boy with Downs syndrome. 9 am - noon

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expect to find the Six Ways of the Passionate Soul. In the
process, myths were shattered and new ways of thinking
emerged. Through my integration of these findings with theo-
ries (e.g., social cognition, positive psychology, and motivation),
interviews, and workshops, a passion framework emerges that
lends itself to inspiring people, from all walks of life, to live their
first best alternative.
“When I was a child, my mother said to me, ‘If you become
a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll
end up as the pope. Instead I became a painter and wound
up as Picasso.” —Picasso
Passion is more than an end state; it is a way of being.
Hence, the six ways is a framework that when taken in total,
defines passion. The people who embody these six ways are
people I call Passionate Souls. There are two questions
addressed in this article. First, what are the Six Ways of the Pas-
sionate Soul? Second, how can the concepts help the people we
support and us?
WAY 1: Passionate Souls Find Their Calling
Passionate Souls see their calling as a central purpose in life
– a movement outward into the world. It has a certain noble
quality; some would even describe it as divine. The calling is
seen as an imperative that is
part of a greater whole. The
main focus of the calling is on
making life better – meeting
the needs of people, animals,
nature and so on. The need is
often rooted in the Passionate
Soul’s personal healing and can
take the form of a cause to
right a wrong, a movement to
improve a current situation, or
an introduction of something
helpful to a new place in the
world. Passionate souls see themselves as making a grand dif-
ference. They are not overwhelmed with complexity, because
the calling seems simple and clear to them. Often it is not even
seen as a choice.
How one gets clear about a calling is varied. Some people
have a traumatic event occur like cancer and go on to work
with cancer patients. Others claim their calling later in life like
Mary Kay and her cosmetic company. She started her company
four weeks after she retired from a long and successful career
in direct sales. In other cases, one’s calling emerges in childhood.
“It seems beyond the comprehension of people that someone
can be born to draw comic strips, but I think I was,” says
Charles Schulz, creator of Charlie Brown and Peanuts. “My
ambition from earliest memory was to produce a daily
comic strip.”
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A technique that can help you to find your calling is to
spend time reflecting on times or events where you experi-
enced meaning. Have someone interview you. Think of a
moment when you felt you mattered… where you made a dif-
ference. How was the world better off because of that moment?
How was that person or living thing better off? What were you
doing in that moment that was unique to you? What was your
gift or talent in that moment; the thing that you did so well?
These moments or events are often minor and provide glimpses
of your calling. In addition to the interview, utilize resources like
books, workshops, counseling, and coaching. Do the necessary
personal work to become more self-aware.
There are three main ingredients to a calling and these
AU T H O R S
STEVEN H. CADY, PhD is strongly committed to
using cutting-edge approaches that inspire system-
wide change in organizations, and he is actively pur-
suing research and practice that unleashes passion at
the individual and organizational levels. Steve is a
Graduate Faculty member at Bowling Green State
University where he served as the Director of the
Master of Organization Development Program and
Director of the Institute for Organizational Effective-
ness. He has also served as the Chief Editor for the
Organization Development Journal. Steve publishes,
teaches, and consults on topics of organizational
behavior and psychology, change management, and
organization development. Prior to receiving his Ph.D.
in Organizational Behavior with a support area in
Research Methods and Psychology from Florida State
University, Steve studied at the University of Central
Florida where he earned an MBA. He can be reached
at: steve@stevecady.com.
KAREN N. JAMES, MSOD combines practical expe-
rience, behavioral science theory, and creativity in all
of her work, a hallmark of which is the use of large
graphic displays created in real time to help the client
“see the big picture. Karen is the founder and presi-
dent of Graphic Transformations, an organization
development firm that specializes in turning thoughts
into images, images into action. She has a Master of
Science degree in Organization Development from
American University/National Training Laboratories.
She is a member of NTL Institute and the Ten-
nessee/Kentucky Organization Development Network.
Karen can be reached at: knjames@sprynet.com.
17
 Live with Passion! Following Your First Best Alternative in Life
ingredients can be used to make a person’s personal mission
statement. First, a calling’s aim is to make a positive difference
in the world. The focus here is on the result. Second, the posi-
tive difference results from some core action or talent that the
person possesses. The focus here is on the gift. Finally, the call-
ing is self-defined in that you know it when you see it. There is
really no debate. It is clear and indisputable. And, in this way, it
can bring with it a heaviness and urgency in the knowing. Once
a passionate soul knows, it is hard to ignore. This leads to
Way 2.
WAY 2: Passionate Souls Claim Their Calling
It is one thing to know your calling; it is another to claim it.
Passionate Souls make public statements of commitment to
their calling. They openly discuss and share their calling with
others; whether it be on a
plane or in line at the grocery
store, they just can’t help them-
selves. There is a symbiotic rela-
tionship between the person
and the calling that resembles a
love affair. That is, the calling
takes on a life of its own. As
one person said, “If my passion
is alive, I will treat it differently.
I will allow my passion to guide
me, rather than me trying to
control or manipulate it to be
what I believe it should be. I’ll be more likely to listen to my
inner voice.”
An intriguing paradox is found in the duality of the claim.
Two or more competing realities exist for one’s calling. In the
knowing of our calling, each of us is faced with a moment of
truth “hanging in the balance.” Is it real or not real? What is the
truth? This is why Way 1 is so important.
The human voice can never reach the distance that is cov-
ered by the still small voice of conscience.
—M. Gandhi
The field of quantum physics sheds light on this paradox.
In conducting experiments, physicists found that all subatomic
phenomena display ambiguity known as wave-particle duality.
This led to the Copenhagen interpretation. Photons are one of
the important building blocks of energy and life. The scientists
found in their experiments that for every photon that is in our
reality, there are twin versions existing in what might be called
an alternate reality. In relation to passion, for every true calling,
there is an alternate calling that can be thought of as a second
best alternative.
Further, scientists suggest that the reason the photon and its
twin were found is because of the experimental design. That is,
the experiment itself helped to create the photon and its twin
– just by looking for it that way. Apply this principle to one’s
18
calling. How we search for our calling influences the calling we
choose. Our calling is not waiting to be discovered. Rather, our
calling has multiple forms it can take and it is up to us to shape
and claim the version that we want. Because a calling has mul-
tiple realities and how we search influences what we find, each
of us is the co-creator of our passionate life. What we pay atten-
tion to and the questions we ask are critical to the calling we
claim.
If you believe what the skeptics think, particularly the pun-
dits more affectionately known as “ankle biters,” you might well
end up with a pretty dispassionate journey in life. If you listen
to your inner voice and take guidance from those who see the
more inspiring and positive aspects of you, then maybe you will
embrace your own greatness and claim a calling of equal
stature. Hence, which reality do you choose?
This question exemplifies the duality. The root of the real-
ity is found in the belief and choice to claim the calling. The
intentional commitment means standing up and being counted.
Passionate Souls do so with a child-like enthusiasm. The emo-
tional energy is expressed with a naivety that is playfully dis-
arming and contagious in one moment. And, in the next
moment, there is a clear purpose and import – a real sense of
urgency. “Now is the time!” you might hear one say.
How do you bring a calling to life? Quantum physicists
help here as well in that they define the present moment as a
flash of light. Therefore, our future flies through the present into
the past in an instant. Every word that leaves my mouth is in
the past; my hand moves and the movement is instantly in the
past. However, these words I type here are captured in the pres-
ent. Writing down a passionate mission statement is one way to
capture the ideal future state in the present – literally bringing
the calling to life in the present. While writing it down is one
method, use the principles here to think of creative ways to
bring your passion into the present by surrounding yourself with
its presence.
WAY 3: Passionate Souls Unleash Their Synchronicity
Passionate Souls have an uncanny way of creating oppor-
tunities. There is a sense of being “charmed” or “destined.”
While the naysayers might explain it as luck, Passionate Souls
know otherwise. They explain it more as paying attention, see-
ing what is possible, and taking a chance.
“And he said, ‘Come to the edge...’
And I said, ‘I cannot. I am afraid.’
And he said, ‘Come to the edge...’
And I said, ‘I cannot. I will fall.’
And he said, ‘Come to the edge...’
And I did.
And he pushed me.
And I flew...”
—Appollonaire
A group of friends are meeting for coffee. In the coffee
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shop is Monty Roberts, the man the movie Horse Whisperer is and see my friends, or I want to be well rested for the presen-
based on. “That’s him over there, really it is…,” someone tation in the morning. In each case, the Passionate Soul makes
observes. A woman in the group loves the movie, the books, the decision that is in the best interest of the calling.
and particularly how Monty’s lessons can be applied to helping
I shall be telling this with a sigh
people to resolve conflict and embrace uniqueness – her pas-
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
sion. She immediately goes to
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
him and invites him to coffee.
I took the one less traveled by,
He accepts. Passionate souls
And that has made all the difference.
bring together two important
—Robert Frost
ingredients that lead to won-
The Road Not Taken
drous opportunities. They SEE
opportunities and they SEIZE The psychological concept of emotional intelligence helps
them! to explain the tough choices Passionate Souls make. Emotion-
The concept of equifinality ally intelligent people are more likely to be viewed as stars at
from general systems theory work; having more friends, achieving high goals, overcoming
and Jung’s notion of syn- obstacles when things get tough, and being sought out for
chronicity work hand-in-hand advice by coworkers. One important quality of the Passionate
to help explain how Passionate Soul is they delay gratification. That is, they have chosen to be
Souls unleash tremendous opportunity in their lives. Equifinal- patient in order to realize their dreams – their calling.
ity refers to the notion that there are multiple paths or system
states that can lead to the same result. So, how do we explain Way 5: Passionate Souls Live Authentically
those amazing coincidences that seem to appear at just the right
moment? Jung describes synchronicity as meaningful coinci- The joyful experience of authentic passion is based on two
dence. Coincidence is always present, swimming and floating opposing forces: obsession versus depression. The authentically
around us… waiting for us to notice. Drawing from the earlier passionate soul has found the way to be exactly in the middle. Pas-
discussion, these connections are co-created. It is Way 1 and 2 sionate souls do not experience authentic passion 24 hours a day,
that directs our attention and intention in order to give the coin- seven days a week. They experience moments of authenticity and
cidence meaning. strive to experience as many authentic moments as possible.
To have long term success as a coach or in any position of
Way 4: Passionate Souls Make Tough Choices
leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way.
—Pat Riley
Passionate Souls make tough decisions among a variety of
alternatives. The Passionate Soul is clear about the decisions that Obsession with one’s calling can be described as ideas,
need to be made, even in the face of daunting criticism. When images, or impulses that repeatedly intrude into awareness.
breaking out of the work-a-day- These thoughts are typically experienced as workaholism. There
world, unique challenges are is an anxiousness and worry that key aspects or tasks are left
presented. To live passionately, uncompleted. The obsession can focus on concern that a catas-
a new way of making life trophe could happen in which the images of the catastrophe
choices is required. Passionate invade the person’s mind lead-
Souls go out into the world ing to compulsions to check on
leaving their comfort zone. things many times, ask ques-
The tough choices are tions of key people, and redo
made in the short-term and tasks that have been com-
long-term. First, there are the pleted; never satisfied with the
short-term daily life decisions. quality of the work. The focus
Should I workout? Should I eat of the compulsion is to remove
that fatty meal? Should I go out the anxiety associated with the
tonight and have fun with my friends or stay home to get the obsession. Ultimately, the com-
necessary rest for the big meeting in the morning? Second, pulsion hinders daily living,
there are the more significant long-term life decisions, such as a normal routines, and social
person’s decision to live in another country in order to get an interactions. The behaviors are
education. What is consistently seen is the choices tend to be often seen as inappropriate and undesired by the person being
desirable and mutually exclusive. I want to be near my family compulsive. As such the person may attempt to ignore or sup-
and friends, yet I want to go to college. I want to stay up late press them.

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Live with Passion! Following Your First Best Alternative in Life
Depression moods lead, almost invariably, to accidents. But,
when they occur, our mood changes again, since the acci-
dent shows we can draw the world in our wake, and that
we still retain some degree of power even when our spirits
are low.
—Jean Baudrillard
On the other hand, depression involves feelings of sadness,
loss of interest, hopelessness, and low energy. There are two
kinds of depression associated with living one’s calling. First,
there are the typical “blues” that occur when things don’t go
well or stressful situations arise. Second, there is the more intru-
sive depression (sometimes called clinical depression) in which
there is a longer term (two weeks or more) loss of interest in
life, hopelessness, and decreased energy. Such distressing feel-
ings can affect one’s ability to perform the usual tasks and activ-
ities of daily living. While depression affects the mind, it’s not
necessarily “all in your head,” there are links to changes in the
biochemistry of the brain.
Passionate Souls experience varied degrees of obsession
and depression. And, the two can’t co-exist at the same time for
obsession is based on excessive movement, while the depres-
sion is based on the lack of movement. Some people experi-
ence much depression and little obsession, while others experi-
ence the opposite. Some people experience extremes of each,
while other people experience low amounts of either. Imagine
a teeter-totter with obsession on one end and depression on the
other end. A person walks back and forth along the beam in a
constant search for equilibrium.
Living one’s calling doesn’t require finding authenticity. You
can be depressed or obsessed while making a positive differ-
ence in the world. Consider people like Oprah Winfrey. She
spent her life battling both obsession and depression; ever
working to find balance. She and her work have touched the
lives of many people, even when she felt depressed. To experi-
ence the authenticity of passion, one must be in the exact cen-
ter of these two opposing forces. To be in the exact middle is to
experience authentic passion and real joy. It is the life-long quest
of those seeking to live their calling. As people begin their jour-
ney following their calling, the frequency of finding the joy may
be high, although the moments may be short-lived. Over time,
as the Passionate Soul matures, more moments of authentic
passion are experienced and the duration lasts longer and
longer.
WAY 6: Passionate Souls Embrace Suffering
The root meaning of passion is “to suffer.” Passionate Souls
endure hardships, trials, and tribulations (i.e., tough times) in the
pursuit of their calling. They have a remarkable way of viewing
these challenges as desirable. In many cases, Passionate Souls
don’t see the suffering as a negative experience, although they
do see it as enduring certain amounts of pain in mental, physi-
cal, and spiritual ways.
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Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most
massive characters are seared with scars.
—Kahlil Gibran
An important aspect of embraced suffering is forgiveness.
When one fails, it suggests a certain amount of suffering. Pas-
sionate Souls reframe failure and the subsequent suffering as
learning. To embrace suffering is to learn from failure. Self-for-
giveness is at the heart of learn-
ing. Passionate Souls push the
envelope, make mistakes, and
crash. Kathie Dannemiller, an
important mentor and friend of
mine, would tell the story of
her granddaughter, Lisa. Lisa
was on the Olympic Track for
figure skating. Kathie would
often go to watch Lisa practice.
One day it seemed that Lisa
was falling a lot. Kathie asked
Lisa’s coach what was happen-
ing and her coach replied, “she is on the verge of a break-
through… a triple.” The most remarkable point to make is that
failure is seen as a necessary component of life’s journey. It is at
those moments of failure that we are about to “go to the next
level.” Passionate Souls would not risk losing the learning in
order to avoid the suffering associated with failure. Failure is not
a waste of time; rather failure is a means for personal growth
and development. The self-forgiveness is important to getting
back up on the horse after falling off.
In my experience, there are three kinds of people in life:
die-ors, survivors, or thrivors. There are those people that have
given up on life and are likely to experience death at a rapid
pace. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankle
describes prisoners in a war camp and how he was surprised to
see physically healthy people dying while the less physically
healthy were surviving. He found that those who survived had
something in common… meaning. Reflecting on this experi-
ence, he said, “To live is to suffer; to survive is to find meaning
in the suffering.” Some of the prisoners had something for
which to live and positive expectation of the future. They
thought about an invention to complete, a business to build,
and/or an education to complete. Passionate Souls go one step
further. They move beyond surviving into the realm of thriving.
They draw inspiration from the suffering. It becomes a reason
to live more mightily.
THE BOTTOM LINE: CHOOSE YOUR FIRST BEST ALTERNATIVE
As I sit here finishing this article, I am listening to some great
music from my entertainment center through cable. Suddenly,
my television changes channels to the show Judging Amy. It’s
quite inspiring to see the synchronicity that appeared next.
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 In the scene, Amy is talking with her Mom about her
brother, Vincent. Vincent is pursuing a writing career, when he
could be choosing more lucrative “professional” routes. Mom
thinks Vincent is headed in the wrong direction and should be
like Amy, who is a judge. The conversation then turned to
Mom’s procrastinating search for a new car. Amy suggested to
her Mom that she was holding on to the old car in order to stay
connected to Dad who passed away. Amy observed, “you miss
him.” And, Mom replied, “All the time. But that is the deal I
made. I married for love… so I knew my heart could get bro-
ken.” Amy asked, “do you think he was happy?” Mom said, “I
think he probably… wished he had done something else for a
living. Insurance wasn’t exactly his passion.” “What was?” Amy
asked. Mom replied, “I’m not sure he ever knew.” After a few
seconds, Amy retorted, “He said to me; if I had it to do over
again, I wouldn’t have had a 9 to 5 job.” Mom then said, “he
was very proud of you,” and Amy replied, “Yep… I think he
would have been proudest of Vincent though… for going a dif-
ferent way.”
Most people in the field of organization development and
change (OD&C) management have consciously chosen to go a
different way. I have met many professionals in our field with a
deep yearning to live their calling – to make a difference that
matters. We work in a unique field well suited to a life of pas-
sion, while the specific nature of the contribution can be elusive.
There are so many different places in the world where a person
can make a difference drawing from OD&C. Each place to
make a difference can appear as attractive as the next. This can
be seen as a blessing or a curse. From my experience, passion-
ate OD&C professionals choose to see it as a blessing. They
seem to draw on the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders as
they try all kinds of stuff, listen, learn, and hone in on their
unique niche. We are given the gift of a field that has many
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wondrous possibilities. There is no better time than now to fully
embrace and live a life of passion. I invite you to choose your
first best alternative in life. Go for it!
I hope you will go out and let stories happen to you.
And that you will work them, water them
with your blood and tears and your laughter
until they bloom,
until you yourself burst into bloom.
—Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Women Who Run with the Wolves ■
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