What is a true passion? It is not simply being hyper active and outgoing-ly positive. These are outward things, not necessarily the core! Actually you cannot motivate people to be passionate! Passionate people are already motivated!
A true passion (in the context of career aspiration) is a quiet strength deep inside you that supersedes title, salary, possession, popularity, etc.. This passion makes positive impacts on many people without even realizing it or claiming for credit, because you think you are simply fulfilling your given responsibilities. There are two key phrases here; quiet strength and given responsibilities.
Quiet strength does not boast or speak loud. It acts quietly but deliberately with authenticity and clarity. It takes risks and yet counts small, unnoticeable milestones to reach higher grounds with determination and discipline, because any meaningful success does not come with one big lucky shot. Also, a professional with a true passion does not worry too much about the past or the future, although she does reflect on the past and plan wisely for future. She is simply faithful to her given responsibilities and always willing to go extra miles if that’s what it takes. Sounds too basic? Yes, it does. But, when was the last time you encountered passionate people at your grocery stores, local banks, doctors’ offices, schools, etc.?
A small team of five passionate people can do the work of ten or even twenty people! They are jewels to their employers and co-workers! So, are you passionate about your job? I am not saying you don’t care about title, salary, possession, or popularity. But do you have that quiet strength and faithfulness to your given responsibilities? If you do, keep it up and spread the energy to others! If you don’t, don’t give up or get discouraged but examine yourself deeper and seek advice from trust-worthy and passionate people in your life.
~David Bang~
David Bang's Blog 
Very interesting post, David. I completely agree. Being passionate about your job is a critical success factor for individuals – it can make the difference and improve competitive advantage.
I think companies do have a role to play in this formula as well, since corporate culture has the ability to bring out the best in people. Conversely, it also has the ability to suppress individual engagement. This factor can keep that passion from fully emerging because employees are focused on in fighting or power struggles, rather than their actual work.
One reason we don’t encounter more people who are truly passionate about their jobs is that we often have difficulty aligning our passion with our necessity to make ends meet. One bold step to overcome this could be to not try new things in our careers without fear. Keep an open mind and try to get paid for what you’d do in your spare time for free!
Rgds,
Carl