Without a doubt, pursuing our passion is essential to our happiness and our success.
Passion points to what truly inspires us. It stirs our deepest values and desires. I think about how I become energetic when I’m doing something I love to do - even housework. When I start my household chores or when writing a post like this one, I become more alive and engaged, and time melts away.
To be honest, I am very passionate about my work and many other areas of my life (sometimes to my detriment I must admit but now I am able to moderate the optimum level of passion), my relationships and my whole life and in doing so, I feel happy, joyful, and fully connected to what I do each day.
The excitement, energy, and initiative passion brings is EXACTLY what we need to accomplish our biggest goals and dreams. When I was teaching and later lecturing, I used to tell my students to enjoy their homework and to be passionate about the subject matter of their essays. I would tell them, "I want to hear your voice, your real voice in your writing. Set yourself free and express what is in your heart without any desire to impress." Of course, many laughed at me but yet, a substantial number told me (years later of course) that they realized the truth of my words and how it could empower them.
If you’ve been plodding along in your life at half throttle, see what tapping into your passion does for you. It’s like opening the floodgates. I’m continually in awe of the drive and determination that arises as soon as a student focuses on a goal that’s aligned with their passion. And I am very proud of those who achieved their goals of much passion and went on to higher plains! On the other hand, there are also those who resign themselves to slothfulness and the rot worsens.
Reality check!
So, what stops us from finding and pursuing our passion?
Unfortunately, many of us have neglected or forgotten our passion by making choices in life based on what’s safe, easy, or status quo. We take a job because it pays well or the title sounds important, not because it is really what we want or are excited about. We spend what little free time we give ourselves watching TV or doing other meaningless tasks instead of actively pursuing something that really moves us.
The result? We end up feeling stifled, bored, frustrated, and drained by what we do each day. Our lives get “oomph-impaired.”
Take Action:
If you’ve lost touch with your passions, or never knew them, commit now to uncovering what makes you come alive. If you’re no stranger to passion, but would like to “kick it up a notch,” all you may need to do is slow down and evaluate what about your life keeps you excited and feeds your energy. I did and it worked wonders for me!
At one point in my life, I left a very good position because external circumstances robbed me of my passion. It was quite idealistic of me to give up so much for nothing. My colleagues then thought I was quite insane and I took one or two years to adjust to the loss in status and income.
Although I still miss the interaction at that work place very deeply, I realize that I left because I did not want to be a shell of a person going through the rigmarole of things without the passion, zeal and enthusiasm because of environmental factors. In doing so, I grew up. Yes, I did. Not easy to lay down status, prestige, a good income and other benefits and to adjust to a different life. Initially, I experienced culture shock in my next place of work and looked back with regret. But as time passed, I learnt to let go of past glories and pushed myself forward with passion to achieve even more than what I did before and in doing so, I realized my potential and enjoyed new accomplishments.
In many ways. I broadened my perspective, found within myself resilience that I never thought existed, creativity that was unleashed, courage to step forward to face new challenges, trust in God for Him to provide for my needs (and He did!) and energetic passion to work. I learnt not to limit myself to what I was used to but to see and think far out of the box and beyond my frame of reference for my experiences. The wealth of experience, relationships, ken and standards I had built over the years helped me to outclass my previous achievements until one day when I asked myself a few questions about where I was heading and again, took steps to make necessary changes in order to facilitate the next growth spurt in my life.
Once again, I asked myself many questions and as I sought the answers, I discovered new things, values and situations that inspired me and followed my dream. Now, I am most happy where I am - at home. I don't have to worry if my shoes and handbag match, or what outfit to wear, or what perfume matches my mood or which shade of lipstick is best for that day. I do not have to worry about getting a place to park or fret about worming my way through the traffic jams or attending bureacratic meetings. I set myself free and explored many possibilities and enjoyed the fulfilment of being with my boys, watching them grow, blogging, baking, reading and taking time to smell the roses.
With much humility, I would like to share with you some of those questions that I used to ask myself when I made major decisions about the direction of my life.
1) Your present life
Are you happy with the direction you are going?
What about your life right now do you love, or at least enjoy?
What do you actively dislike, and what do you merely tolerate?
What is your favorite aspect of your work, and why?
Which of your unique talents and abilities could you use more fully?
Where are you holding back?
2) Your future life:
If you could be doing anything in five years, what would it be? Think big! No limitations! I remember in 1995 a British colleague of mine Steve Fullerton asked me, "Paula,, where do you see yourself in five years time?" I was stunned. That really made me start thinking about where I was and where I should be going.
What would a typical day look like?
Would you be writing a book? (*wink wink*)
Raising thoroughbred horses?
What would really thrill you to be able to say you’ve accomplished, both personally and professionally?
And, what would make you feel like you’ve made a difference?
What do you see in your future life that may provide clues about pursuing your passion?
What’s one step you could take now–in your present life– to move you closer to what you really want?
I hope that in small ways, I have inspired you to take stock of your life to realize your dream.
Personally, I have always been a dreamer….always moving on, wanting more of myself, of life and I am not the type to want stagnation or complacency in my life. Yet, I am also not the giddy headed type of dreamer floating on candy flossed clouds. No. I am constantly looking for and creating dynamism, creativity and generating worthwhile achievements be it in my family, faith, writing, music, relationships or work because I am propelled by my dreams that I can …I will…with God’s help. I wish you all the very best in your endeavours and may God bless you with wisdom in all that you do.
edward Just to let you know your testimony is inspiring and very much appreciated. Thank you for sharing.
Regards,
ed