Passion Should be Plural

when i was younger

i was the girl who knew the answer to

every question a classic teacher’s pet

guilty as charged yet there was one time

where i found myself surrounded by

sea of raised hands in response to a

painfully simple question

yet i was speechless the question was

what’s your passion

that question is and most likely always

will be the most daunting question i’ve

ever been asked

when i was first asked this in seventh

grade social studies i was unable to

formulate an answer

yet my classmates eloquently wrote

paragraphs and artistically designed

posters

about their love of ballet or tennis or

math

now i realized that these kids were most

likely not going to grow up and become

the next misty copeland or roger federer

albert einstein that i didn’t care

i so badly wanted to answer that

question with the level of confidence

and authority that they had and i still

do

to me passion meant what you’re best at

what you’re known for what you spent

most of your time doing

what you’re a master at and you can only

have one with that definition

i was passionless this definition isn’t

something i came up with myself it has

been ingrained in my brain by coaches

teachers and even my parents

i tried out for a club volleyball team

at the beginning of fourth grade after

only having played that summer

surprisingly i made the team and the

first thing the coach said to me was

that this club will guarantee i’ll be

committed to the d1 school of my choice

with a full ride by my junior year he

then proceeded to hand out a practice

schedule

with practice four times a week games

every weekend tournaments once a month

once a month in summer training

all mandatory as a nine-year-old who

tried out solely because her mom wanted

her out of the house

how was i to know that i would spend the

next nine years of my life committed to

one thing

apparently i was the only one confused

about this idea as when the first

practice came along girls showed up

wearing bama

osu and baylor shirts telling me

enthusiastically and with utmost

confidence that they will go play

volleyball there

and to be completely honest i would have

rather played soccer than volleyball but

as kids in texas i

started playing soccer at the age of

three and didn’t quit at the age of six

like i did

i was far too late to rejoin the game

the idea that being the master of one is

equal to success is something i’ve grown

up surrounded by not just by my peers

but by my family as well

my mom grew up a violinist my dad a

runner and my sister a performer

my mom started playing violin when she

was four performed numerous times at the

kennedy center in washington dc and went

to

and got a scholarship to carnegie mellon

which she attended at 15 years old

my dad started running cross-country in

fifth grade had the 15th fastest 5k time

in the u.s at age 16.

went on to represent the country at the

first international meet in hong kong

and he went to university on a floor

ride which he still holds records there

to this day

my sister who most of you know is the

epitome of a theater geek

she started singing before she could

talk no seriously

she started to begin to hum the words of

the little mermaid before she ever said

her first word

when she was three years old she decided

she wanted to be on broadway and has yet

to think anything differently

from the age of four to round eight i

followed my sister’s path of musical

theater yet once i realized i was

constantly going to be in her shadow

effort during that time i picked up

gymnastics and quit the day after i made

the

state competition team i probably picked

up soccer on four different occasions

and

um each ending with me swearing i won’t

ever play again

i played basketball ultimate frisbee

golf rugby

all competitively and no surprise here

i’ve put them all

i’m pretty sure that the only reason i

play volleyball on softball now is

because i quit them before and somehow

caught my way back

i’m a perpetual quitter because once i

realize i’m not the best at something

and i’m not going to be the best at

something i figure it is not my passion

and thus i might as well just quit i’ve

grown up thinking that this makes me

mundane

inferior even and i thought that without

a special hobby to distinguish me from

the masses

i was being set up to fail as a result

of this i’ve achieved multiple

mediocrities yet i am exceptional at

nothing

i’m the jack of all trades constantly

surrounded by and being pushed to become

the master of one while i was in chinese

class a few years ago we studied chinese

idioms with inconceivable english

translations

one of them was which directly

translates to three-legged cat

however it’s the equivalent of the

chinese it’s the equivalent of the

english phrase jack of all trades

it originated from the seven revised

manuscripts of the ming dynasty in which

a legend states that a cat is very

skilled at hunting

however it only has three legs so it is

always viewed as inferior

despite the cat’s skills they can never

make progress and is never recognized

for its success

over time this phrase has evolved to be

used when someone is unprofessional or

describing a lack of troubles

when i searched this phrase of my

chinese dictionary i found two

definitions to be shocking one a

metaphor used to describe a person who

knows very little

and two used to describe a level that is

not high

but why is being the jack of all trades

such a bad thing why do

there’s such a big push to find your

passion why does your passion only has

to be one thing

the thing is it doesn’t a psychological

study

published by professors professors at

yale stanford and the national

university of singapore

test the implicit theories of interest

or in other words

answering the question do we truly find

our passions or do we develop them over

time

as paul o’keefe of yale states people

often assume that their own passion

just needs to be found once it’s found

it’ll be in a fully formed state

he goes on to explain how incredibly

flawed that reasoning is

the study examined how the two different

implicit theories of interest

impacted how people approach their

passions the first theory suggests that

passions are singular and unchanging

while the growth theory suggests that

these passions are developed over time

often change and are not innate to our

personalities

because of this the discussion about

passion needs to be carefully

communicated

telling people to find their passion

could suggest that it’s within you just

waiting to be revealed

likewise telling people to follow their

passions suggest that the passion will

do the lion’s share of work for you

both statements are wildly untrue and

suggest a passive process to fulfillment

and success

instead of searching for that one thing

that’ll be the answer to it all experts

stress the importance of flexibility

after all what we’re passionate about

now probably won’t be what we’re

passionate about in two years or even

two days

the study found that those with the

growth theory of interest were more

versatile and well-rounded and could

adapt easier than those who possess

the fixed theory urging people to find

their passion leads to them putting all

of their eggs in one basket

and then dropping that basket once it

becomes too difficult to carry

the idea that finding your passion

should be forgotten instead we should

all focus on developing skills and

multiple interests

this will result in placing eggs in many

different baskets ensuring that not one

is heavy enough to be dropped

essentially passion shouldn’t be a one

word answer but rather a sentence

paragraph even where the word and

approves regularly between multiple

different subjects and activities

although the idea that that passion

should be plural is scientifically

proven it doesn’t mean it’s something

that’s practiced or preached

challenging the notion that many of us

have grown up with is not an easy battle

in the slightest however i’ve come to

realize that there is fulfillment

that comes from being able to play a

pickup soccer match on the way home from

volleyball practice

or writing a research report on the

illicit trait of small arms and my

weapons while singing a musical theater

duet

is this fulfillment comparable to that

of shouting after one passion to the

entire class

or being able to look back at your

achievements through photographs posted

on your mom’s facebook like clockwork

i don’t know and i never will yet what i

do know

is that the flexibility in your interest

and the skills from trying many

different things

will greatly benefit your future success

is not contingent upon

focusing on only one thing questions

about passion should be asked with a

plural

and all kids should grow up knowing that

their passions refer to things that they

love

not only things they are best at your

college acceptance track shouldn’t have

to start in fourth grade

and you shouldn’t have to have your life

planned out before it’s even begun

there’s a joy that comes in quitting and

lessons that come from not knowing the

best the next step

being a jack of all trades does not

imply

imply inability or insignificance it

simply implies a burning desire

dare i say passion to seize every

opportunity resulting in unmatched

versatility and adaptability

thank you

you