I met Johnny B after I graduated high school and was in a Mechanical Engineering program at University. Johnny B and I met through mutual friends one summer – Johnny B was also in Mechanical Engineering but at a different University. Johnny B not only did well at school, he was also a world class rowing athlete. About my size but a cardio machine. Through Johnny B I learned the key to success was to be passionate about your goal. Johnny B would get up every morning, go to the rowing course and practice for hours before school. I learned about the discipline required to be a world class athlete – diet, exercise and rest. I learned about VO2 and how to measure progress. Johnny B was a world class athlete. He went to Olympic qualifiers but never broke through. As I got to know Johnny B, I started to listen more. You see, it was Johnny B’s father that woke him up in the morning, drove him to the rowing course and got the scull out. As I looked into it more I learned that Johnny B’s Dad was actually the driving force. Johnny B’s Dad was a rower as well. In his Dad’s case though, he broke through and competed on the world stage in the Olympics and other competitions. I understood that Johnny B was chasing his Dad’s dream and his Dad’s passion. Johnny B’s Dad passed away and within a few years Johnny B had found another sport. His dream was to compete in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. Johnny B got up in the morning on his own, trained vigorously and had huge gains in the sport. And then the unexpected happened, Johnny B had a stroke. It came out of nowhere. Between the ages of 41 to 44 , Johnny B had three strokes, the second of which led to Johnny B being partially blind for months. Johnny B didn’t stop because he had found his passion, not his Dad’s. Johnny B finally qualified for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii at the age of 50. He competed and placed fifth in his age category, achieving his dream. Johnny B taught me that the key to success is finding your passion, not someone else’s. Whatever happened to Johnny B ? He moved on from the Ironman Triathlon dream and opened a local rowing school for children. Everything came full circle. If you aren’t passionate for what you are doing , keep looking. That is when you will truly reach your top performance.