The infinite passions of life

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There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
– Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

Federico Fellini said, “There is no end, there is no beginning, there is only the infinite passions of life.”

I have that framed in my office. It shows a dog chasing its own tail though, with these words on the top. Which makes me laugh every time I see it. However, the meaning of that quote is so very deep in so many ways.

Anything and everything we do, we should do it with passion. It is an element fuelled by the heart, and that is why it is the strongest of all elements, a sure fire method to ensure success in whatever you do… with passion.

You may play the piano methodically, but play it with passion, and you win a whole lot of fans. If you are a politician who is passionate about the cause, you are more credible than a career politician. A businessman with passion will reach to the top because he never gives up even if there is no money being made in the hardest of years. Elon Musk, for example.

All of us, in every little thing we do, we must enjoy our life to the fullest, be passionate in every way – in the way we love the people around us, in the food we enjoy, the clothes we wear, the friends we make, the ambitions we plan – go all out ! Live your best moments today and live them with utmost passion. Forget the normal, forget trying to conform, forget wondering what will people think – just be wildly, passionately you.

Don’t worry if you will fail, if people might laugh at you – it’s your life, not theirs, so live your life as passionately and courageously as you can. As George Bernard Shaw said, life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself. So create your best, happiest life the way you want, and use your passion to fuel you forward.

Said Friedrich Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live, can bear almost any how.”

And this is why this year I am reviving PASSIONS, our English language high-end lifestyle magazine which I stopped seven years ago into a Malay language high-end lifestyle publication, distributed to all ministries, banks, offices of public listed companies. We are timing it for Hari Malaysia and we are doing a special feature where we position 65 Malaysians – 65 stories to position and profile businessmen and their businesses, leaders and their causes and personalities who want to have their voices heard.

See also Following the instinct

myPASSIONS covers Seni & Budaya, Gaya Hidup, Kerabat, and Ikon in which we are featuring national celebrities like Ziana and Anuar Zain, and do a story on their rise to the top, a fashion spread by Malaysia’s most iconic fashion designer, and behind the scenes look at some of Malaysia’s most compelling Malay movies and books.

I feel this is important because we need to create a road deep into the heartland of what this country is and connect the dots – we are so much more than the murky politics Malaysia is fast becoming known for. Our people are our strength, and our diversity of passions make us a delightful nation. These are what we need to be emphasise, what needs a spotlight more often.

I met Ziana for the first time in a coffee shop in Shah Alam to tell her how we intended to position her story in myPASSIONS. She is such a beautiful person and so gracious. It’s been barely three years since her divorce and we both ended up talking about how relationships should be about a plus and not a must, why relationships deteriorate over time, and why creating our own happiness and completing our own selves is far much more important than having someone else to complete that for you. From being a image I see in posters, she became a three dimensional, beautiful woman of substance and talent. This is why I love my job.