While being on this planet for a short time I've gone to countless concerts, some that were unforgettable and some that were mediocre at best. For me there was always one thing the artist had to have that would make or break the concert. As I began to grow up I realized that the people I looked up to the most and the people who inspired me the most all had that same thing. So what is it that connects a good concert and growing up? Passion, have you ever been to a smaller concert with a smaller crowd but when the artist takes the stage and somehow it doesn't matter how small the crowd, they perform as if it will be their final show, and all while lighting up every face in the room. Or have you ever talked to someone who can just go on and on about what they want to do in life and why they love it , and you can't help but listen because the way they explain it, with a glimmer in their eyes and the excitement in their body language just makes you want to listen to them forever. That right there is passion, but why is it that this is so important in both of these areas and why could the world as a whole use a little more?

If you're anything like me, when your favorite artist comes to town you can't help but be overtaken by the same excitement of a 6-year-old on Christmas morning. However sometimes when you get there that excitement is almost ruined because you want to see a performance that not only reaches your expectations but exceeds them, and occasionally the artist will struggle to meet those expectations. Other times though they walk on stage and from that moment you're in awe with the performance from beginning to end. So what is the difference? Well sometimes it may just be that they don't sound like their recordings you fell oh so in love with, but more often than not it's because you feel as if they are there for the money and the fame. For a lot of people, that makes the concert a bust. So, to put it to a single word, they lack passion. For instance I have been to plenty of shows in which it seemed like that artist grabs the mic but in their mind sees a money bag, as if they couldn't care less that there are hundreds — if not more — adoring fans in front of them, but other times they walk onto a stage pumped and ready to go . An example this is a concert I attended earlier last week; The artist was Mac Miller and it was my first time ever seeing him in concert so the excitement was unmeasurable. We got there and the venue, while far from sold out, was still quite packed. There were a few opening acts and then the moment I was waiting for all night. From the moment he walked onto the stage until he walked off he seemed almost excited as me. It was almost breathtaking to see someone who was performing because that was where he wanted to be and what he wanted to be doing. It was his passion, and the happiness and the fun he had on stage were what made the entire show.

But the same can apply to people and some of the choices you make growing up and just in life in general. We live in a society that in a way looks down on you if you chose not be a rich doctor, lawyer, or in another high paying position. For some, that is their passion but not everyone and that's okay. From personal experience, I grew up trying to go into a profession that had nothing to with what I actually wanted to do and what actually made me happy. But it was would make me money and make those around me happy. Why, though? Why are someone else's happiness and opinion of more importance than your own? Well, that happiness and fun I saw on that stage from Mac Miller showed me it's not. No one's opinion or happiness should ever be more important than your own. If your passion isn't in line with what society thinks, OH WELL! Always follow your passion, always. Because at the end of the day, you're the only one who knows what will make you happy.