I. Effing. Hate. those insipid managerial motivational posters. The Demotivational posters [purchase] jumped the shark a long time ago, too. But, you have to have something in your mental back pocket to jump start yourself (as my last post illustrates). Mine is from Hugh MacLeod at gapidvoid.com and came from the Hughtrain, his response to the Clue Train Manifesto. It’s simple, true, and hits a certain spot for me.

Merit can be bought. Passion can’t. The only people who can change the world are people who want to. And not everybody does.

I see this over and over in people like NOLA bloggers, national figures (both Left and Right), and even in my team. I can buy my way into a meritocracy; I can’t make someone passionate. And only the passionate see those fundamental things that really and truly matter.

I will work to be one of the passionate.