522. Crisis of Meaning Reveals His Passion

Moustafa Hamwi

Moustafa knew his fast-lane, materially successful life was leaving him empty. He went to India searching for passion in his life. When a swami asked him what he was thirsty for, he realized he did not have a clue.

Moustafa Hamwi is an award-winning author and speaker, and is one of the world’s leading experts on the topic of passion. He’s achieved in one year what took others in his industry 20 years, to such an extent that he got nicknamed globally as “the Passion Guy,” due to his amazing success empowering people to discovering their passion. He’s been selected by the world’s number one executive coach, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, as one of the top 100 coaches worldwide, from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants.

How Did You Start Using Your Talents?

Syrian by birth, Moustafa lived in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and basically, all around the Middle East. “When I graduated university with a degree in marketing, I came to Dubai, just looking for a job like everybody else. Marketing took me into handling public relations for Nokia in the Middle East, back when Nokia was the key provider of mobile phones.” He discovered he was very good at throwing parties. “So I thought, ‘I can do something like this for myself.’ I quit my job and opened an event agency, which went flying! Within a few years, I went from four people to 45 people, multimillion-dollars turnover, with an event agency, modeling agency, communication agency.”

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

Hard-driving in business and life, partying on a grand scale, Moustafa began to feel emptier and emptier as his success grew. He made a dramatic shift in lifestyle–stopped smoking, drinking and partying, and focused on yoga, meditation and the pursuit of spirituality. “I had spent many years of attending courses and reading about personal development, but I was still kind of a hobbyist. I consumed a lot, but it was all surface-level, entertainment-type knowledge.” His quest led him to India, where he met a swami. “He asked me, ‘Do you know what you are thirsty for? Because if you do not what you are thirsty for, you cannot quench your thirst.’ It was a wake-up call for me. I realized I was on a search, but not actually sure what I was searching for.”

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

“The swami in India asked me the key question, then a near-crisis in my health gave me the wake-up call I needed to answer it. Did I live a life that was truly meaningful? Did I do my best with everything I’ve had in my life? Did I leave any positive impact on this planet? The answer to all these questions was a big NO! And it was then that I realized, this is not good! With my health restored, I’d been given a second chance, and I knew I had to make sure I’m finding my passion, finding my purpose.”