“If you are immune to boredom, there is literally nothing you cannot accomplish.” (From David Foster Wallace's novel, The Pale King) Passion. Everyone claims to have it. It's bandied about in marketing materials endlessly. "I have a passion for client service!" Or: "My true passion is real estate." We often assume passion is the most common trait associated with champions. Winners. People who pursue something relentlessly. But is it? Passion, if we haul out the trusty dictionary, is defined in several ways: 1. strong and barely controllable emotion 2. a state or outburst of such emotion 3. intense sexual love 4. an intense desire or enthusiasm for something (Hmm... if you're selling my home, there's at least one on that list I'd rather you not have!) In truth, I'd rather you not rely on any of them. Even enthusiasm. As a high percentage of married couples will tell you: Passion cools. Enthusiasm dims. Champions are not built from passion. Passion may attract, it may catch the eye, but it is largely the domain of the impetuous. When enthusiasm wanes, boredom takes hold. Boredom is far more powerful a force than passion. Like a rocky bluff before the relentless sea, boredom can undo even the loftiest overlooks. Those who rely on passion to carry them are at a distinct disadvantage. Those who refer to passion as their cornerstone will inevitably change their behavior when their mood changes. When passion fades and boredom sets in? The passionate will behave like the bored. Those winners who go the distance do not allow passion or boredom to sway their behavior. They are the ones who can endure an endless chain of "next right actions" to attain their goal. They trust the process. If there are days you feel boredom, don't beat yourself up. Don't assume there's something wrong with you if you're not brimming with enthusiasm over that split-level ranch house listing built in the 1960s. If you're showing up and you're doing what needs to be done in the face of boredom, congratulate yourself. You're behaving like a champion.

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