As I completed the values exercise, I pondered how I discovered that passion was on the top of my list. I know that I am attracted to passionate people. I know that I want and long to be person living a cause of passion. It hit me, there were two key moments in my life where a portrait of passion struck me.
The first was the antithesis of passion. As a 7th grade boy struggling with self-esteem, I recall an angry teacher telling me that I was a loser and would not amount to anything. You never forget those words. The second was my experience at Cathedral High School. I was expected to become more than I thought I could ever be and I was surrounded by teachers of passion. Lisa Ford was the portrait of passion. She expected more and believed in me.
Recently, I went back to Cathedral to honor her with a scholarship in her name and have invited others to join with me in celebrating who she is. It is that passion, that helped form this key value in my life.