Aleksandra Galert's Blog: I'm thinking about... - Posts Tagged "passion"

Why, even by doing the simplest things, some people are much better than others? Why we prefer one waiter and not the other? Is it talent? Sense of humor? Kindness? Yes, it is. But I believe there's something even more important: passion.

An inspiration to write this post was a barman I met in Palermo (Sicily). Peppino is a tall guy with long, gray hair. So what makes him so special that everybody loves coming to him? I think it’s because he loves what he’s doing. In Malox (that is the name of the pub where he works), there is no drink list – the whole list is in Peppino’s head. People come to him and say things like: ‘Peppino, I have a broken heart. Make some drink for me’. And he does. And everybody is very satisfied with it. Doing every drink, he explains exactly what he’s doing. Some of the actions I have never seen before by making drinks, like burning a lemon.

But what makes those drinks so special? The fact is, that even if it's a drink that you can order in any other bar in the world, like e.g. Mohito, it tastes better. Why is it so? For me there’s only one explanation: he really loves what he’s doing. Peppino doesn’t just come to work as a barman. He’s trying to make people happy, to make them forget about everyday problems and take some relax drinking a cocktail they like. So little and so much at the same time.

After visiting Malox I started observing other barmen, but I never saw this passion in their behavior. I can’t really explain it. It’s the language of the body and the results of the work that attract us. We intuitively choose people who are passionate, because we know their work will be better. When I see a barman who seems to just be dreaming about going home, how can a result of his work be outstanding?

The conclusion out of this story is that even if you’re the most talented in something, but you don’t put your love into what you’re doing, your work will never be special and better than an ordinary one. It will never influence people or make them happier. It's just the way it is.