成功学书上都说，世界上98%的人都是普通的人，只有2%的人才是真正有激情的“自我实现人”。Brian Tracy说："The world is full of people who are waiting for someone to come along and motivate them to be the kind of people they wish they could be. The problem is that no one is coming to the rescue. These people are waiting for a bus on a street where no busses pass. As a reslt, if they don't take charge of their lives and put the pressure on themselves, they can end up waiting forever. And that is what most people do. Only about 2 percent of people can work entirely without supervision. We call these people 'leaders.' This is the kind of people you are meant to be."无独有偶，Ann Landers说："There are really only three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, 'What happened?'"

美国亿万富翁Donald J. Trump说"I've known people who had fantastic ideas, but who couldn't get the idea off the ground because they approached everything weakly. They though that their ideas would somehow take off by themselves, or that just coming up with an idea was enough. Let me tell you something--it's not enough. You have to put the idea into action. If you don't have the motivation and the enthusiasm, your great idea will simply sit on top of your desk or inside your head and go nowhere. Lack of passion is often the difference between failure and success."

这番话都很有道理。大家看到大学里每年招收很多研究生，为什么有的能做出科研，有的不能？为什么同样一个老师带几个研究生，毕业的时候文章会有很大差别？为什么有的人光说不做，点子一大堆，最后什么东西都没有做出来，甚至什么东西都没做？我看passion（激情）在这里起到很大的作用。光有兴趣（interest）是不够的，要有激情（passion）!Donald J. Trump说："If you want to do real big things in life, then you have to have monumental enthusiasm and passion. To be done right, every job requires passion. The doorman, the waiter, and the receptionist are there to greet each visitor with enthusiasm. No matter what your job is presently, do it with passion and magic will happen. You will meet the right person and get noticed."Donald J. Trump还说："Passion motivates. Passionate people don't give up; their zeal eliminates fear. Since they love what they are doing, they don't want to stop. They come up with inventive ways to overcome obstacles that would stop others on the spot. Their passion creates an intangile, but powerful, momentum that can make them feel indomitable." 

那么，研究生在科研上应该有怎样的激情呢？八年前我在一篇文章“科研随想录”中写道：“真正做学问，是要一种精神的。民营企业家有种为自己干活的务实精神，有种猛冲猛打、锐意进取、死死咬住项目不放的精神，有一种从早干到晚、星期天也不休息、有家不回有孩子不抱的精神，是现在的研究生做科研所缺乏的。学生不是老板的打工仔。不要把自己默认为老板的打工仔，如果把自己默认为老板的打工仔，则不能真正发挥自己主观能动性，不利于培养独立工作能力。老板是董事长，手下的学生应该把自己默认为项目经理，要把老板交给自己的工作真正当作自己的事情，真正落到实处。要独当一面，做好可行性分析、项目设计、药品管理、经费管理、时间管理和文字处理，在科研中培养管理能力和独立工作能力。 充分发挥主观能动性，做不好实验，连觉也睡不着，中午也不要休息了。只有有这样的心态，才能做好科研，否则把自己当作国营企业职工，下班铃一响就吃饭，今天没干完的事情留到明天去做吧，实验做不好就做不好，自己也不急，只故自己打游戏上网看录象，这样怎么能做出出色的科研呢？” 

那么，Donald J. Trump说的“No matter what your job is presently, do it with passion and magic will happen. You will meet the right person and get noticed.”，真的有这回事情吗？大家看电影The Pursuit of Happiness，就能找出一个推销员带着激情干活，从最低层做起，创造奇迹的故事。从我的亲身体会来说，无论做什么有益的事情都要有passion，有passion的人无论是对科研还是写博客都有passion。做的时候也许周围人觉得很傻，说当事人在做没有回报的事情（比如写博客），但是认真做事情，做着做着"You will meet the right person and get noticed"。比如说我博士毕业后到现在三年，除了已经被Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical和Langmuir早就邀请为审稿人以外，还被Journal of Colloid and Interface Science、International Journal of Chemical Kinetics、Journal of Physical Chemistry C、Topics in Catalysis 、Catalysis Letters 、Nanotechnology、Nano Research 邀请担任审稿人。打响品牌后，被The Open Catalysis Journal招为国际编委。发表20多篇文章，被Nova Science出版社直接邀请写综述。认真写了博客以后，被科技日报采访，文章被转载收录于“科学网2008年博文精选（中国科学技术大学出版社出版）”和“科学新闻双周刊”。 

总结就是有激情和没有激情的神态表现和做事情的效果大不一样。有激情的人，他做事情的时候两眼放光，能量从他自身辐射给四周。有激情的人做什么事情都做得好。