People are surprised when I say I am not a passionate person, that I am detached from my opinions.
They're surprised because they see me articulate my perspectives confidently and competently and consistently.
They're amazed because they see that I challenge the status quo unapologetically. That I disrupt the dominant narrative. That I amplify the voices of the marginalized. Represent the underrepresented.
They recognize my willingness to be vulnerable and open and authentic. Embody the traits of empathy and curiosity and courage that I want to see in others.
They understand that I don't have to do any of this. That I choose to do all of it. That I want to live this way, to be this way, to be perceived this way.
They appreciate my transparency and my intentionality and my purpose. That I am driven by clear values and grounded principles.
And they wonder: How can you be and do and say and think all that and not be passionate?
My answer is that it is dispassion that allows me to consistently be who I am – to say and do and think the things I say and do and think.
I am detached from the outcomes of my thoughts and words and actions because I trust in their truth and resonance and power.
All passion would do is lessen their impact.
Which would defeat the whole point.