At the core of every human being lies something essential—a deep, authentic expression of who we are, beyond roles, expectations, and external achievements. But the path to that core isn’t always straight. Often, it’s covered by layers of experience, pain, and self-protection.
Still, there is a surprising way back: through our passions—even the ones that feel excessive, intense, or disruptive.
Here’s the idea: what drives us—especially when it becomes overwhelming or leads to negative outcomes—often originates from something beautiful and true. Our most exaggerated behaviors, strongest emotions, and inner compulsions may actually point to a strength that has become distorted—a virtue that has gone off course.
When we begin to recognize this, we can trace our way back to the core. We don’t need to suppress our passion; we need to understand it. Because within its fire often lies the key to the gift we are here to express.
When strength becomes too much of a good thing
Consider someone who is highly responsible. She takes care of everything and everyone, but often ends up exhausted, frustrated, and resentful. On the surface, it might seem like a need for control or a fear of not being enough. But when we look deeper, we often find a profound virtue underneath: responsibility, care, and love.
When that virtue becomes distorted—perhaps due to unspoken expectations, trauma, or a belief that love must be earned—it morphs into an excessive sense of duty. Her passion to contribute becomes self-sacrifice and control. The way back is not through denial or rejection, but through insight: to recognize the pattern and begin to let go.
Passion as a distorted virtue
Here are a few common examples of how passion—when out of balance—can signal a deeper quality:
- Perfectionism may be a distortion of a longing for wisdom or beauty—a desire for harmony and excellence that turns into rigid control.
- Anger or defiance can be a distortion of justice—a powerful inner sense of right and wrong that expresses itself as resistance or rebellion.
- The need for recognition may reflect a distortion of self-worth—a deep knowing that you are valuable, misdirected into a hunger for external validation.
These passionate reactions offer valuable insight. They point to something strong within you that, when healed and redirected, can become a powerful source of growth and authenticity.
Following the trail inward
So how do you use passion as a guide back to your true self?
1. Notice the intensity
When something stirs strong emotions—pride, anger, fear, or the need to control—it’s often a sign that something deep in you has been triggered. That’s not a flaw; it’s a signal.
2. Ask yourself: What am I protecting?
Many intense responses are shields for vulnerability or distance from a deeper inner quality. You might be protecting your dignity, your sense of meaning, or your longing to be loved.
3. Look underneath the pattern
Once you recognize the passion or reaction, ask: What is the healthy version of this? What is the original desire underneath?
4. Reconnect with the virtue
When you see what you’re truly longing for—love, truth, justice, freedom—you can begin to live from that place. Not in reaction, but in resonance.
Integrating what you discover
This isn’t a one-time insight—it’s a lifelong process. It’s the work of becoming whole: learning to distinguish between when you act from distorted passion and when you act from grounded virtue.
You’ll know you’re aligned with your core when you begin to feel:
- A sense of ease and inner peace, even during challenges
- Clearer boundaries and more authentic connection with others
- Increased creativity and presence
- A deeper experience of meaning
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about becoming whole—able to hold both strength and vulnerability, passion and virtue, fire and stillness.
Let passion be your guide
The beauty of this perspective is that nothing within you is wasted. Even what seems excessive, dysfunctional, or self-defeating holds the seed of something important. Passion isn’t something to get rid of—it’s something to listen to. Within it lies a thread that leads you home.
It’s about tracing your way back—to the core. To what has always been there beneath it all.
You don’t need to fix yourself. You need to return to yourself. And often, the very path you’ve walked before holds the way back—this time, seen with fresh eyes. Your passions point to something essential. When you learn to read them as maps, you begin the journey back to what is true, whole, and powerful in you: your inherent worth, your purpose, your core.
Because when passion meets truth, it becomes power.
DREIESKIVA|Roald Kvam 
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