A quote from one of the many obituaries for Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin really jumped out at me:
I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message.
I was never a huge wildlife fan. I would never sit down to watch any of the BBC’s big-budget nature documentaries. But I would – and did – watch Steve Irwin. Not so much recently, to be honest; it got a bit repetitive and wearing. But that’s not my point. I watched the show purely because of his passion and enthusiasm for the subject.
Likewise Mark Kermode’s film reviews on Five Live. I haven’t been to the cinema more than three times in the last three years (for various reasons); but I always make a point of listening to his review slot. Same goes for Top Gear – one of the best things on British TV. An hour of unashamed good fun. And yet I don’t know anything about cars, nor do I particularly care to.
Why? Passion. Like him or not, Jeremy Clarkson really really cares about cars. He puts his all into the performance, and it makes for great telly.
If you’re not passionate about what you do, maybe you should be doing something else.