Excitement Vs. Passion
February 13, 2009 
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New blogs, new social networks, new interests, new businesses, new forms of marketing – these are all things that are easy to get excited about. But excitement is unsustainable and not a reason to get involved in things the way passion is. Developing passion is not instant and takes true time and dedication that an overwhelming majority will simply not put the effort into.
Honest, unrelenting passion is a rarity in our society and I have witnessed it in very few individuals. But in those individuals it is absolutely unmistakable, you can literally feel it and it is powerful simply being around them.
I recently wrote a piece on embracing your passions, and over on FriendFeed vjay posed the question to me what I thought the difference between excitement and passion was. I wrote him a quick response, but I want to go deeper into drawing the line between the terms as I have a personal interpretation of what I view the difference as:
Excitement is novelty, passion is sustainable
Excitement is how you feel when starting something brand new, passion is pouring your soul into it for years
Excitement is starting a new business with the goal of making money, passion is starting a business because you have a vision for your industry
Excitement is fleeting, passion is timeless, can’t be shaken from you and is what you live for
Excitement is the feeling you get at the top of a roller coaster or a night in the city, passion is the love you have of art, of writing, of your partner
Excitement is common, true passion is rare
Excitement is a shallow connection, passion runs deep
Excitement can be visualized in peaks and valleys, passion can be visualized as an infinite plateau
Society conjures excitement at every corner, passion is a precious treasure
Excitement can be synthesized, passion is impossible to artificially reproduce
Excitement can drive you to illogical action, passion never steers you the wrong direction
Excitement is instant, passion is earned
Excitement is contagious, passion is misunderstood
Excitement is at times a deterrent, passion is an enabler
Excitement is plastic, passion is real
Excitement is a function of the reptilian brain, passion lives in the neocortex
Excited people tire easily, passionate people can’t stop
Good brands stir excitement, great brands inspire passion
How do you view the difference between excitement and passion?
Previous vs. posts at The Future Buzz:
Old Vs. New
Active Vs. Passive
Simplicity Vs. Complexity
Work Vs. Play
5 Blogs Winning The Numbers Game Vs. Traditional Counterparts
Related posts from around the web
Rubik’s Cube And The Violin (Unconventional Thinking)
The difference between a show and a story (Seth Godin)
Rekindling A Passion For Reading (6 Pixels Of Separation)
Michele replied | Feb 13, 2009 (8 comments)
“How do you view the difference between excitement and passion?”
Answer: Excitement feeds passion.
Kenny replied | Feb 14, 2009 (1 comment)
Never before have I been much of a commenter, let alone subscriber to a personal blog. However, the future buzz takes the cake. Adam, this site hands down has some of the best motivational, informational, and concise articles I’ve come across on the net. It’s helped me get over the hump as a aspiring twenty-something site designer and create something that I am passionate about. I just wanted to say thanks.
Adam Singer replied | Feb 14, 2009 (597 comments)
@Kenny – wow that is quite the compliment – thanks, i am glad to have you as a reader as well.
yael beeri replied | Feb 15, 2009 (5 comments)
Reading your post, I started thinking about the personal side of excitement and passion. You can get excited about things that others do but you can only be passionate about something you do. A passion is your own only. that is what makes it stronger, fundamental, sustainable.
Xavez replied | Feb 25, 2009 (1 comment)
Well, that was quite a nice article to read (sorry, just catching up on some feeds :)).
To put it in a way that I think everyone understands: porn = excitement, love = passion. As most of the time is the case, the two terms are not absolute opposites. I think you need excitement about some things, just as much as you need passion. How could you have discovered a passion, without ever having been excited about something?
Chance replied | Mar 31, 2009 (1 comment)
Are these all your original thoughts? I’d like to quote a couple of them and want to give proper credit.
Adam Singer replied | Mar 31, 2009 (597 comments)
@Chance – yes, everything published here is an original thought unless otherwise noted. You’re free to quote away as long as you link.
Fofoto replied | Apr 4, 2009 (1 comment)
thx for ur article,it delighted me something that i can rethink seriously for my past.It is so Great. For a guy success or fail, excitement/Passion make the different.
Sangeeta Krishan replied | Jun 19, 2009 (1 comment)
Excitement is ofeten kindled fron outside….external stimulus, but passion is from within…an inner fire which cannot be doused.