One of the most important things in a workplace is passion. Imagine a workplace where nobody has a passion for what they are doing. I think of people that sound like Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh) when they answer the phone while saying something like, "hello, I'm happy to help you...". On the other hand, imagine what that same greeting sounds like from someone who is passionate about what they are doing! Their voice will be full of energy and excitement! I also think about great athletes like Jerry Rice. Now here is a man who had a passion for excellence in what he did, and it showed up in the things that he did to keep himself in prime shape while becoming arguably the best wide-receiver to ever play football. Passion...   success in anything relies on it.

Passion manifests itself as enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can be a contagious thing to the people around you. Check out what Paul says to the church in Corinth...   "For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action" (2 Corinthians 9:2, NIV, emphasis mine). There is an obvious passion being demonstrated here, and it even stirred other people into action.

So besides telling you how important it is to work with a passion, I want to take a moment to share a personal passion of mine. My son Samuel just turned five years old, and he brings so much excitement to my life. He really is a great kid, and he makes me want to be a better father all the time. On the day after Father's Day 2004, we took him to the doctor's office only to find out that he had Type 1 Diabetes. He was only 17-months old. Since that day, Samuel has had to be on a strict regimen of insulin shots, redefined eating habits, and regular checks of his blood sugar levels. The early going was tough, because food needs and desires can change drastically from day to day for a child of that age. He is now on an insulin pump which feeds insulin directly into his body 24/7, but as a result he has to wear a pager-sized piece of equipment 24/7 to feed him that insulin. This has made our quality of life much better, and meeting the changing dietary needs of a growing boy much easier to manage. However, insulin is not a cure...    it is only life-support.

So, every year I join the Walk To Cure Diabetes. I am walking for Samuel, and I am not going to stop until we find a cure. There have been some great advances in research lately, and we are so very close to finding a cure, but we are not there yet. I cannot tell you how difficult it is for me to say this to you, but we need money to support this research. Every year, I put together a video to help tell our story. Please watch this...



After watching the video, I only ask that you follow your heart. If you would like to sponsor me for this walk, please visit our donation page before March 14th, 2008 and donate online. If you do donate, please send me a little note letting me know that you did so. I would love to know that you came from this site. You can also watch more of our walk videos at the Walk For Samuel channel on YouTube.

I have already raised a total of over $11,000 prior to this year for the annual event, and each year my walk team has grown. This year the company that I work for is also walking with me (watch our video), and our goal for this year alone is $20,000 (and I know that we can reach it)! This is something that I am passionate about, and the results show. If you let your passion drive you, you will always be able to achieve great things.

Thank you.



Note: To learn more about Diabetes and it's devastating affects on the body, visit www.jdrf.org.
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