When Passion Calls, Let Reason Walk Beside It

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As we move through life, many of us reach a point where we long for another chance, another chapter, to rediscover our purpose. Experience gives us clarity, but it also raises new questions: What now? What matters next? What is worth pursuing with the time I have?

Passion can be a powerful guide. It can wake us up, pull us forward, and remind us that there is still something worth reaching for. But passion alone isn’t enough. Before we chase what inspires us, it’s often worth pausing long enough to consider where that inspiration may lead.

I’ve seen this countless times in my work with people navigating reinvention. Some feel a spark but don’t yet see the path. Others feel a pull but haven’t weighed the cost. Passion can open the door, but reason helps us walk through it wisely.

Whenever I think about this balance, I’m reminded of Grizabella from Cats. She returns longing for connection, dignity, and another chance at belonging. She isn’t driven by impulse—she’s driven by meaning. Her passion is real, but her experience gives it direction. That combination is what leads to her redemption.

There’s a lesson there: passion gives life its color, but reflection gives it form.
One without the other can leave us lost.

Before we leap into something new, it’s worth asking:

• What part of me is calling out to be used?

• What am I hoping to heal or reclaim?

• What might change, for better or worse, if I say yes to this?

• And is this passion grounded in who I am today, not who I used to be?

When passion and clarity move together, reinvention becomes less of a gamble and more of a turning point.

A few thoughts on passion from people who’ve wrestled with it:

“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”
—Benjamin Franklin

“We must act out passion before we can feel it.”
—Jean-Paul Sartre

“We can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.”
—T. S. Eliot

“Never trust people who don't have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason.”
—Fredrik Backman

“Be passionate about improving. Be passionate about helping others. Listen to your feelings.”
—Brent M. Jones