Passion and Enthusiasm: The Keys to Successful Living

Wherever you are when you read this article, it will be the biggest room in your life: the room for improvement! You, like everyone else, have tasks you need to begin, to fulfill, and to improve upon. The keys to accomplishing them are being enthusiastic and passionate. 

Enthusiasm is contagious and it quickly spreads. Passion is the fullest expression of desire and craving for what you love and want the most. Passion doesn’t have an expiration date. We’ve all seen older people demonstrate that age is no barrier to living with enthusiasm, pursuing new endeavors, or sharing with the world. These folks inspire us to keep pursuing what we love no matter how many candles might be on our birthday cake. Passion and enthusiasm are timeless attributes, and they are key to productive living!  

The road to a successful artistic career has never been easy. Many of the greatest artists faced opposition and severe hardships along the way. Their stories inspire us when we realize how they passionately struggled to create beautiful works for us to enjoy.  

Michelangelo (1475-1564) never retired. He lived 89 years in an era when life expectancy was age 40. He began thinking about dying at age 40 when he developed kidney stones. For the next fifty years he continued to work despite pain, faltering vision, and loss of strength. At age 71, Michelangelo contemplated returning home to Florence to a well-deserved retirement. But he was called by the Pope to design and build St. Peter’s in Rome. For the next seventeen years, from ages 71 to shortly before he died at 89, Michelangelo devoted himself to designing and building St. Peter’s Cathedral. It gave him new purpose, and he came to believe that he was “put there by God to save St. Peter’s.” As an aging man, his faith seemed to become even stronger as he dedicated the remaining days of his life to constructing a church that he had no hope of seeing completed — he was too old; St. Peter’s was too far from finished. But future generations would enjoy it on his behalf.

Claude Monet (1840–1926), the father of Impressionism painted until his eyes failed. Monet spent years perfecting his technique of capturing light and atmosphere on canvas. As he grew older, Monet faced struggles with his eyesight—yet he continued to paint with remarkable passion and dedication. Even though his vision deteriorated, he never gave up on his love for painting. In fact, his later works - especially those in his Water Lilies series - are some of his most celebrated.  Monet’s story shows us that passion doesn’t rely on perfect circumstances. His ability to create beautiful works despite his visual impairments proves that true enthusiasm for art comes from a deeper well. Until his death at the age of 86, Monet didn’t stop, and because of that, his legacy lives on in every stroke of the brush.

Both Monet and Michaelangelo show us that by utilizing enthusiasm and passion, we can pursue a life that flourishes – regardless of age or circumstances.  

No matter how old you are or what obstacles you face; passion doesn’t have to fade. Enthusiasm is the spark that fuels the human spirit. Pursue what you love with passionate enthusiasm, and you will thrive - no matter what your age or the hardships you face. 

Life is simply too short to settle for anything less!

Carl Trapani, MA, MS, LPC serves as campus Chaplain at Chippewa Manor. He has more than 50 years of pastoral service and professional counseling experience. For more information please call (715) 723-4437 or email him at carl.trapani@chippewamanor.com.