I recently attended a conference that made me smile because each speaker discussed his or her passion. It was evident in their enthusiasm. I smiled because the passions aren’t what we typically think of when we talk about passion.

For example, Greer Gay, from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, loves to read the Federal Register. Say what? The Federal Register is a daily summary of the U.S. Government, complete with all the sections and subsections anyone would ever want to set their eyes upon. Ms. Gay has a healthcare politics background, and her work is impacting cancer programs across the U.S.

Again, at the same conference, Ian Thompson, MD, spoke about prostate cancer and screening. It was clear he is passionate about the prostate and ending that cancer. He’s devoted his life’s work to that cause.

Another friend of mine has a husband who works with mass spectrometry. Had I heard of it? Sure. Did I have any clue what it really meant to me as a nurse and general consumer of mass spectrometry-influenced devices? Uhm…no.

The radiologist that attends our tumor board conferences can not only read imaging study after imaging study, but he knows the inner workings of an MRI machine like he’s rebuilt it himself.

These people – and several others – made me think about the uniqueness of our passions – they are all different to some degree. And, I am thankful for that. The topics alone are meh, but when passionate people talk about the topics, they come alive; something changes. It’s the beautiful mystery of callings and missions and purposes.

So, whatever your passion is, I hope you fan the flame. Go ahead, nerd it up. Make the subject come alive to others. Be the difference.