Passion is a life force that pushes us to accomplish those things that bring us joy. With vitality and gusto, passionate people are fueled by much more than just the love of something. They believe in themselves. Furthermore, they are moved by the ideas and feelings that sustain them in creating and allowing moments. They follow their awareness and believe that success comes in many forms.

Psychologist Robert Vallerand at the University of Quebec, Montreal, has researched passion and what makes us passionate. He writes about his findings: “Harmonious passion originates from an autonomous internalization of the activity into one’s identity while obsessive passion emanates from a controlled internalization and comes to control the person.”

Here are 5 things passionate people do differently than most:

1. Passionate people get easily excited.

They don’t wonder if the glass is half full or half empty. They are seeing the possibilities of what they can do with the liquid inside. Passionate folks get excited about the challenge, adventure, and journey they travel. Passion is a spark of hope and grace. They know there’s something larger than what they can see and feel. They follow that joy and excitement, oftentimes, without really knowing what the final destination will be.

2. Passionate people are brave.

Bravery arrives through vulnerability. Passionate people aren’t afraid or ashamed to ask for help. Their courage moves them to continue in spite of any failures or set backs. The difference between a person who lives in victim mode and that of a passionate person is the courage they carry in their hearts. They are survivors. They have no hang-ups about what has happened in the past. Passionate people know that those scars heal and they utilize them to learn and grow. They become great mentors because of their courageous hearts.

3. Passionate people are self-motivated.

They are their own cheerleaders. They believe that failure is when you fall and just stay down. Passionate people get back up and try a different way of accomplishing what they aim to do. They know that success requires doing things differently to achieve the final result.

Thomas A. Edison said about failure: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Passion ignites certainty even at the moments that are filled with tremendous doubts and obstacles. When you follow your heart, there is no failing.

4. Passionate people are blissful.

They live in a state of joy because they are following their bliss. They are content with how they choose to live. That’s because they have created the life that suits them. They enjoy life. Most of them have chosen to live outside of the box of what society tells them to be. They are the entrepreneurs, philanthropists, inventors, artists, musicians, salespeople, and professionals who have taken chances and believe that it isn’t the value of things that make happiness but rather the joy that comes from the journey. They cherish their times alone and with others. Passion is contagious, and these folks bring out the joy in others who magnetically connect with them. They don’t take life too seriously.

5. Passionate people believe that love creates the world.

You cannot speak of passion without returning to the source of love. Passionate people love themselves and others. They move through love and share it with the world. They are those who believe in humanitarian causes and fight till the end. Because of this, they make this earth a better place. They come into this life ready to make changes, and nothing stops them. Love is the ultimate motivator for the passionate soul. They know that without the innate desire to change and evolve, there is no doing. Love is the match that lights passion.

Passionate people don’t sit around feeling stuck. They are the trailblazers, doers and movers, the leaders, the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, that all unite to make this place a better haven for the rest of us. These people don’t wait to be told what to do. They are moving a mountain one teaspoon of dirt at a time. They are patient, determined, and generous. The best habit that a passionate person owns is knowing that this life is here for us to make the most out of it. They know that in order to be happy, successful and loving, there must be desire and the will to see past anything in the future. This is what separates the passionate person from those who do not follow their hearts.

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Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping… waiting… and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir… open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us… guides us. Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love… the clarity of hatred… the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we’d know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we’d be truly dead.”~ Joss Whedon