Passion - Moving Forward!

          Let’s get a bit of your passion in your life, shall we?  What could be more satisfying, even in lean times, than knowing without a doubt, that you are doing what you were meant to do, maybe even what you have dreamt of doing should you no longer need to earn a living.   

          By now you know the routine, review, and then move on.  Last week we covered the ‘whens’ of following your passion.  To ensure we’re all on the same page, we’ll take one last look at the ‘whens’,‘whys and whats’ before we move on.

             First, the ‘whens’

            When should you start?

            When encountering adversity – what do you do?

            Then, the ‘whys’

            Why do we spend our precious few years here on earth toiling at a dead-end job in an arena that is not entirely of our choosing?

            Why do we not follow our passions more?

            Why do we have a thousand excuses for continuing to be a slave to mediocrity when our brilliance is waiting on the periphery for us to recognize our true calling?

            And, of course, the ‘whats’        

            What is keeping you where you are and preventing you from moving forward?

            What is preventing you from following your passion on a part time basis?

            What excuse are you using to stay right where you are?



            Now that you’ve spent the last three weeks with me, reviewing the what, why and when will seem clearer to you and you’re ready to get started. 

            The ‘who’ in all of this is obvious – you.  The ‘where’ is the passion, you’ve been uncovering with your self-examination.

            First things first!  Not everything is going to happen for you right away, just because you’ve realized you’ve been ignoring your true passion and decided to follow it.  Even if you are clear on the path of your passion, don’t expect to be an overnight sensation in your passionate field.  There is a path and it won’t always be clear or even or as easy as walking downhill.  Some of the way will be rocky, uneven, steep and the atmosphere stormy! But, adversity presents opportunities and uncovers strengths and weaknesses (you do need to know what those are) within you.  Don’t despise adversity, learn from it. 

            Even if you can’t leave your current employment right now (and I'm definitely not advocating for that), even if the kids are still small and need all your attention, even if you're finishing your education, you can start to work with your passion, now!  The only thing you need to do right now is get some of your passion in your life and you can do that through volunteering if there are no other options.  Volunteering offers limitless opportunities in all kinds of fields, education, public speaking, writing (I know - I’ve done years of this myself), teaching, facilitating, helping, caring, driving, working with a team or on your own, working with people (children or adults or both), working with systems.   And before you come up with a dozen objections to this, let me tell you about a couple of people I know. 

            One had a very successful career, doing what he loved.  When he retired he continued working in charitable endeavours and even delivered meals to shut-ins until he was 86 years old.  One is a busy mother of two preschool children who gained her masters in online education and started a business while her first child was still an infant.  She currently serves on three boards while building her business.  The thing these two people have in common, one just starting her career, the other winding his down, is their ability to see beyond themselves and their present needs to meet the needs of others.  At the same time, they're meeting their own need to be present in life, following passion, living life to its fullest.  And, so will you.  It’s a new day.  Enjoy!