What do Satya Nadella and Harsha Bhogle have in common? They made following one’s passion cool

Till about a few years back, talking of “following your passion” in an Indian context would have been futile, for you really didn’t have much of an outlet for what you liked doing. But that’s no longer true. The market has truly opened; people are willing to back you, especially in tier-1 cities, and your mistakes can be overlooked, at least by others. But all this still demands excellence. And excellence, my friend, is in doing the boring stuff well.

Following your passion starts by knowing your passion and as Robin Sharma quips, “People who study others are wise but those who study themselves are enlightened.” So, let’s delve deeper into this seven-letter word.

Here’s my definition: Passion is anything that you do without any external motivation. Put differently, passion is something that you don’t get tired doing. It doesn’t have to be profound or noble. Watching movies, gossiping, cleaning your house, chatting with friends, window shopping – any of that could be a passion. The interesting thing, however, is that “passion is blind”. While it can drive you, it can also quickly exhaust you.

Passion without reason can certainly waste you. A teacher is passionate and so is a murderer, but for entirely...

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