Passion Is Nothing Without Dedication (In Relationships And Life)

Priorities: Mine have always been a little skewed. There are so many little things in life to get caught up in, that if you don’t take a minute to set your own boundaries and goals— You’re going to get swept away. I’ve been taken by that current more than a few times:

I wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to be a lawyer, a director, a dancer, etcetera… You get the picture.

So, I’m on this dating site, right? Right. I’ve been on it before… countless times actually. On this site, which may or may not be OKCupid, they ask a question: “What is more important to a relationship: Passion, or dedication?”

When I was younger, I said passion. How can you be with someone if the flame isn’t always burning brightly?

But, I was wrong. Dedication is the most important aspect of any relationship. It’s crucial to your relationship with yourself, which is above all the most important relationship you’ll have in your life. It’s imperative to keeping friends, and it’s what keeps monogamous romantic relationships alive and ticking. That dedication is a direct reflection of the respect you have for your own ideas and wellbeing.

Being flaky and finicky is easy. Jumping from idea to idea to idea is easy. What’s not easy, is finding things worth fighting for and seeing them through.

Great passion is what gets things started, but you need that internal respect to keep everything moving forward.

Going with the flow is for people without vision. It’s simple and it can take you places if you know how to leverage it, but seeing your vision become a reality due to your dedication? That’s an entirely different level.

But first and foremost, you need to be there for yourself before those visions can come to fruition. A decision has to be made: Am I worth it? Am I worth this effort?

I think that when you can answer ‘Yes’, another world of possibilities open up. I’m working on saying yes right now, and I hope you are, too.