Passion

What's my favorite word?
What do I look for in a potential business partner, new friend, or new girlfriend?
What is the one thing that separates good from great?
What can accelerate professional development and mask all sorts of weaknesses?

Ask me any of those questions, and my answer is passion.

Defined by my good friends at Dictionary.com:

any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling; a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything;

Why is passion so important? Because it translates. If there's one endearing quality about myself that I hope I project onto others it's passion - passion in the way I work, passion for the people around me, and just overall passion in the way I live my life. I've met people who make the most trivial tasks in the world seem important and interesting because of their passion for life - and it brushes off onto the people around them...it gives us all a shot of life . And we've all seen countless athletes and celebrities squander brilliant careers because they have no true passion for what they do.