Passion and Drive

A reader asks: What’s the difference, if any, between “passion” and “drive”? Passion is the emotional excitement one has over something. Drive is the motivation to get it done, along with a commitment to determining (and following through on) the rationally chosen steps for getting there. Based on these definitions, it’s certainly not an either/or situation. One needs both passion and drive. I don’t know that one or the other has to be sacrificed. Sometimes passion grows with drive, but drive cannot manufacture passion. Sometimes passion is so strong that it gives rise to the motivation for taking the rational steps required to get to your goal. Drive is connected to motivation and purpose; in a sense, it’s the moral driving force behind steering your course toward what you’re seeking. Passion is perhaps more automatic, already internalized–in a sense not chosen, at least not consciously so.