In a country where everyone and everything is impersonal, it is hard to find any situation where one can be completely open and passionate.

We walk down the street without acknowledging each other. We drive our cars, only honking or waving if someone cuts us off. We sit in class with the same people all semester without speaking to each other at all.

Passion is the beginning and end of all emotion. We express our passion in many ways that range from nodding “hello” when passing someone on the sidewalk to giving a huge presentation on nuclear fission to spending time with our friends and loved ones. We are driven by why or how much we need the goal we are striving to attain. When we are working hard to make the grade, get a promotion or get that guy or girl we are lusting after, passion is the key.

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In the early days of our romantic careers, everything is passionate because it is new and exciting. We may be feeling “love,” having a new series of relationship firsts and beginning to round those metaphorical bases, and then at some point the juice stops and the relationship hits a big sexual brick wall.

So what happens when passion takes a vacation? By the time we are in college, especially if we are in the last few years, we are tired of the same old same old. We have been playing the game for a few years and are ready for the first jet lag on our non-stop flight through life. It is easy to become tired of playing and to just need to sit the bench for a couple of innings. Taking a break from the dating and bar scenes can revive that much-needed drive to do the things that are really important in life, such as homework and tightening relationships with friends.

It’s not always about romance. At some point in college, in the workforce or after starting a family, you can begin to feel burnt out. It is normal to feel the burn at any stage in life. According to www.careerjournal.com, feeling “burnt-out stems from the desire to please others. It is the hallmark of perfectionists, who feel they must excel at everything and strive for the approval of some unseen judge or jury.”

So where does this fit into the discussion of love? Are we so tired of trying to please our mates that we quit focusing on pleasing ourselves? Or do we become so tired of the same dating routine that it becomes impossible to focus on a potential boyfriend or girlfriend?

If you are burned out in your relationships with friends or a significant other, think of yourself first. The relationship is not going to be a good one unless you are ultimately happy.

Looking to up the passion in your life? Understand that you have to be passionate about who you are before you can be passionate about work and others. According to www.jobseekersadvice.com, you should “Take a look at the things that you have really loved doing over the course of your life and break them down into the reasons why.”

Being passionate in life is like finding the emotional Holy Grail. You are high on yourself until you climax and achieve the goal. Whether it be college, work, love or sex you are likely to burn out in the process. But, don’t give up, because the end result might be a lifetime of bliss.

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