Can Passion and Energy be Increased?

Few years back, a young fresh engineer, referred by an ex-teacher, came to see me for a job. Tariq (original name withheld) was a graduate of GIKI, a prestigious engineering institute. I looked at his CV and he had good grades. He told me that he came from a humble background and studied on scholarship. Tariq’s shoulders were down, his body language was unconfident and traces of general complaints that he was from humble background, society had so many ills and it was not possible for him to find a job without safraish (reference), etc., were evident from his talk. His sparkless eyes were hesitant to look directly and his voice lacked energy. With no smile on his face, his communication was quite average. I could tell that with this appearance with no energy and lack of confidence, it would be very hard for him to pass through filters of hiring managers in some good organisation despite his decent academic record. I asked him whether he did some active sports like football, cricket, etc., and like most of us, he replied no. I asked him whether he was desperate to get a job and he said yes. I told him to buy a pair of joggers and start jogging 30-40 minutes daily. He appeared confused as if I was joking but I told him I was damn serious. He shook hand and left. A few months after, he walked into my room again and introduced as I could hardly recognised him. He was a changed person, chin and shoulders up, sparklets in his eyes depicting emotional energy, drive and passion, confident voice and broad smile on his face. He told me that he took my advice seriously and started jogging daily. Within 5-6 months, his personality and appearance started transforming. He kept applying for jobs and then after rejection in many interviews, he was finally selected in a good organisation.

Majority of hiring managers look for energy, passion and drive in candidates. When I was in government service three decades back, I applied for a prestigious overseas scholarship and was called for an interview by the Selection Board at LUMS, Lahore. When I entered in the interview room, there was a large conference table and 4-5 interviewers were sitting at far end of about 40 feet long table. They asked me to sit at the other end of table and I could hardly see their facial expressions. They kept asking me questions without a sound system and I was forced to answer them on top of my voice. I was surprised on their conduct and kept thinking why they forced me to speak so loudly. I found answer after many years that they wanted to check the energy and passion of the candidates and the composure that one can maintain while speaking so loud without getting angry or upset. I was selected for the scholarship but couldn’t take it due to family reasons.

It is right that energy and passion comes in DNA, nature. Some kids are fast in movements, highly energetic and others are slow and dull. When these slow kids grow up, they lack energy, passion, drive and charisma. When you tell them, they would say "it’s not my fault, I was born like this". But it is also right that emotional energy is directly proportional to physical energy. If your emotional energy by birth is weak, it is every likely that your physical energy and vitality would also be weak. You can increase your physical energy by putting yourself into a simple physical daily exercise like jogging, gym, swimming, etc., and keep it regular for your life. I have found jogging very practical, low cost and easily manageable. If you can do active sports where more players are involved like football, cricket, hockey, etc., that is excellent for building your drive as well as social skills and emotional flexibility. Increased physical energy and resilience builds passion, drive and emotional energy and is an easy way to appear energetic, confident in interviews, at work and at home. Great brains are nurtured in great bodies, as the true saying goes. Brain and personality enhancement is quite difficult but making body resilient is quite easy. And this works for not only getting a job but also in succeeding a job because 30 minutes daily workout destresses your brain and elevates the mood by releasing endorphins, the pleasure chemical of brain. I therefore highly recommend increasing physical energy to build better passion and emotional energy which is a major personality trait in succeeding in professional and family life.