Passion is About…Dedication

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In the March series, Passion is About…, we’ve learned that thriving passion projects take more than high emotions—they require soft skills like awareness, authenticity and learning. There’s also a fourth skill you’ll need for the days everything seems to be working against you: Dedication.

Meet Chef Jose Andres

Chef Jose Andres can tell you all about the downside of the restaurant business, like long hours on your feet and fickle customers. But he’s so dedicated to his passion that those problems don’t bother him—he’s decided he’s tougher than any obstacle that comes his way.

For Andres, food is a stepping-stone to what really matters—relationships. He reflected, “When we are around the table, somehow, everybody knows where to find common ground. And we respect each other, and that’s the way it should be—in America or anywhere around the world.”

Andres started the World Central Kitchen charity after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. When Andres saw furloughed workers in need during the US government shutdown, World Central Kitchen immediately responded, opening a pop-up restaurant in Washington, D.C. They fed 4,400 people on day one—double what they were expecting. Their staff and volunteers kept at it as the crowds kept growing, staying open until the shutdown ended.

Simultaneously, Andres’ tagged restaurants across the nation and friends like celebrity chefs Emeril Lagasse, Ming Tsai and Rick Bayless quickly joined the #ChefsforFeds cause. He says, “Sometimes it is less about meeting and more about doing and getting out on the ground.”

The Dedication Challenge

How can you emulate Jose Andres and apply dedication when times are tough? Try these three ways:

• Make it fast by taking 30 seconds to declare, “I have patience, stamina and enthusiasm. I’m committed!”

• Make it deep by taking 30 minutes to think about skills you’ll need for the long haul.

• Make it real by rolling up your sleeves and digging into one hard task you’ve been putting off.

There’s an idea to, “Make your passion your paycheck.” But the people we’ve met this month demonstrate that that’s only a phrase. The whole sentence is, “Work with heart and dedication to make your passion your paycheck.”

So, the essential characteristics for passion projects are awareness, authenticity, learning and dedication. As you read the recap below, ask yourself, “How am I making this quality personal?”

1. Lauren Ko knows that the muse doesn’t work from 9-5. She uses awareness to stay open to unusual designs, and those ideas make their way into her incredible pies.
2. Production designer and Oscar winner Hannah Beachler learned a surprising truth about movie making: Turning down the volume on critics and staying authentic was just as important as the final sets.
3. Mercy Ships founder Don Stephens discovered that sustainable results begin with research and learning. He had the humility and confidence to say, “I don’t know what I don’t know, but I’ll find out!”
4. Jose Andres and the people of World Central Kitchen aren’t intimidated by natural disasters or long hours—they’re dedicated to serving anywhere in the world there is a need.

Your passion can add up to something life-changing if you persevere. Do more than dream—get out on the ground.