When I built my first website in 1995 on Geocities, it was about a subject I was passionate. Congenital heart defects. In a month, on average, the site had 8 visitors. I didn’t care. Mine was a labor of love.

A talent scout for About.com (then The Mining Company) found me, invited me to write for About.com’s heart disease section, and I was soon making $1,000 a month - a royal income for a post-grad in India (conversion was Rs.47 for the US dollar!)

It was a similar story with blogging.

‘Remarkably Purple Spots’ was born in June 2003. This is how I answered the question:

“Why this blog?”

Every day, several remarkable things cross my desk, my mind and my computer screen. Hilariously funny things. Shockingly outrageous ones. Wildly profitable stuff. Or just simply curious.

I’m tempted to write to you about them - because I ‘know’ you’ll love it. But it’s too much WORK. That’s why you have… ‘Remarkably Purple Spots’

It was - and still is - a hodge-podge of things I find interesting. The blog has raised $81,708 in donations for congenital heart defects through an annual Heart Kids Blogathon.

Not just that, along the way both online assets have established my brand, created a degree of authority and given me extensive reach among an audience I want to speak to.

It has given me influence. And that’s because the assets were built with passion.

There are many stories like this. I read about Don Vandervort’s “Home Tips” on Guy Kawasaki’s ‘How To Change The World’ blog.

Starting in his son’s tree-house, Don’s site won Google’s ‘Adsense Story Contest’.

I cringe when I hear newbies being advised to start out with cold-blooded calculations of niche profitability, audience metrics and other ‘marketing speak’ - with scarcely any consideration to what matters most… their PASSION.

Where’s YOUR fire?

That’s what will keep burning, simmering or smoldering, and make you stick with whatever you do, including blogging.

That’s the unique ingredient no one else can mimic, copy or replicate, making you and your blog distinct.

That’s the ’secret recipe’ that virtually guarantees that you’ll end up ith influence and attention of your audience.

Think about it before you go any further.