Core Value #2: Passion

By Ryan Maloney, assistant women's volleyball coach

"Call the world if you please, 'The vale of Soul-making.' Then you will find out the use of the world." ~ John Keats, 1810

"She found Yale stifling to the parts of yourself that you'd call a soul. It's hard to build your soul when everyone around you is trying to sell theirs." ~ Yale graduate speaking of a classmate, 2013

In Italian mythology, there's an interesting idea concerning fate and destiny. Before each human birth

there's just a soul and a large earthen jar containing a collection of wooden chips called "lots." On one side of the lot is written all the talents, abilities, and natural inclinations the soul will have, and on the other side is written all the inherent limitations. Just before a baby is born, the earthen jar is shaken and the first lot to come out is given to the soul, becoming that person's "allotment" in life. (This is where we get the word, "Lottery").

Explore any ancient mythology from around the world and you'll find some version of this story... that every person has inherent gifts, abilities, and interests that shape who they become. Compare to this to the much more recent idea of "the blank slate," in which all options are open and you can become whatever you want to be.

The later idea seems to dominate society today, and while its created a lot of choice and opportunity, its created even more anxiety. College students have a large list of majors to pick from and an even larger choice of professions. But with increased choice seems to come a certain forgetfulness... namely, many students have forgotten (or never been told) that they already have a passion inside them waiting to be shared with the world.

As a coach, I'm very concerned about what our girls are passionate about. Usually volleyball is a given, especially after playing year-round since the age of 12. But I'm more interested in what they're passionate about away from the court. What do they enjoy doing? What kind of things interest them? What subjects make their eyes light up and their hearts swell?

The day after I graduated from college I remember waking up in my childhood bedroom with a sinking feeling in my stomach. "Now what?," I thought to myself. I had graduated with an impressive GPA that was now meaningless... there were no more hoops to jump through or professors to please. A large part of me was angry that nobody had told me about the inevitable push off the cliff that comes after college. Nobody had ever told me that I wouldn't find passion in the classroom... that it was out in the world somewhere. After a while I began to realize I was naturally passionate about coaching, and even though it was an uncertain career path, it was what I needed to do.


Some girls already have an idea of what they're passionate about. Others don't, and some won't for a long time. But I think most college students only get a glimpse of it during their four years. But when they do, you desperately hope they hang onto it.

Because it's hard to follow a passionate road. People look at you funny, wondering why you're not an immediate success at the age of 22, why you're not making lots of money, or why you didn't take a job with more "security" (as if there is such a thing). It takes a lot of trial and error, a lot of disappointment, and the ability to deal with a lot of uncertainty.

But it's extremely important that you do it. It's your Lot in life, and nobody will live it if you don't.