Gary Pisoni exudes passion...
Winemaker extraordinaire, Gary Pisoni is the epitome of someone who achieves that passionate balance between work and paly. Gary, known by many enthusiasts as “the King of Pinot Noir,” is the founder of the famed Pisoni Vineyards that virtually put the Santa Lucia Highlands region (located on California’s Central Coast) on the wine-making map.
Gary has an effervescent personality that bubbles over, larger than life. Some people call him eccentric, but nobody challenges his passion for making some of the best Pinot Noir on the planet. Gary does not fill us with sophisticated platitudes about how to enjoy wine. His simple maxim goes some- thing like this: “If you like it... continue to drink it. If not, don’t. The best glass of wine should always be the one in your hand.”
Gary is not only passionate about what he does, but he has loads of fun doing it. But make no mistake about it; he takes his winemaking (with his two sons, Mark and Jeff) very seriously. He likes to say that, “Wine is made by God in the vineyard... I am merely the attentive custodian of the land.”
Pisoni is so passionate about his dream to make great Pinot Noir that he persisted for nine years before he finally found enough water (with the help of a Native American dowser) on his family’s cattle grazing land to grow great grapes. After visiting the Pisoni Vineyards, journalist Mark C. Anderson captured the passion of Pisoni. He writes about Gary, “He evangelizes his love of good wine with a preacher’s passion and while Jesus may have turned water into wine, Pisoni turned no water into wine.”
Pisoni’s passion for Pinot Noir has no limits. He believes that wine often transports us back to that special place, during that extraordinary time. Good wine conjures up memorable experiences with loved ones, that someone special, family and friends. It would be wonderful if we could all bottle Gary’s boundless energy and enthusiasm.
Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do.—Rumi
Here are some thought starters you can utilize to help discover and ignite your passion.
Know what you do best. You need to be candid with yourself here. You might even need to brag a bit. What is it that you do as well or better than most? It could range from baking an apple pie, to dancing up a storm, to making a compelling business presentation, to serving your community, to caring for others, to being a passionate lover. As Bruce Lee once so perfectly suggested, “Love is like a friendship caught on fire!”
Remember the joy. Think about the times in your life that you were filled with unbridled joy. What was the circumstance? What was the setting? What special event resonated with your being? Was it the birth of a baby? When you got that long-deserved promotion? When you aced that test in school? When your favorite sports team finally won a champi- onship? (Think Boston Red Sox in 2004 after 86 years of waiting to win a World Series Championship.). When you were in the garden tending to your roses?
Recognize when time flies by. Define what you are normally doing when you lose total track of time. Are you watching a great movie or reading a wonderful book? Are you writing? Are you painting? Are you working on a meaningful project at work? Are you making Eggplant Parmesan? Are you playing with your kids, or helping them with their homework? Remember when you don’t watch the clock, you are likely to be passionately engrossed in what you are doing.
Get in touch with your childhood dreams. Remember when you were a kid and filled with childlike wonderment? What did you dream about? Did you dream about becoming a dancer? A novelist? A gourmet chef? A great parent? An inventor? Entrepreneur? Sometimes it helps to go back so you can move forward and reignite the passion within you.
Narrow-cast your passion list. Make a list of your passions and hone in on one or two things that ignite your fire and add fuel to your positive energy. You might use a rating system: one being the highest, five being the lowest. Remember, passion doesn’t sit well on the back burner. Make quality time to pursue your passion.
Are you currently on a path that will lead you to you true purpose in life?
Take time to reflect using the Igniting Your True Purpose and Passion workbook. Click here to get started.
About Thirdwind
Thirdwind is an interactive community dedicated to empowering people to achieve "true" success by realizing both their professional goals and personal dreams. We believe the key to attaining "true" success is achieving the delicate balance between making money and making meaning.
With 12 principles for achieving "true" success you will get the support you need to ignite your true purpose and passion. Seize this opportunity to become an entrepreneur of your existence!
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