MaXIMIze - Finding Your Passion

So, a dear friend is going through a passion crisis of sorts. I think we all go through these at least once in our lifetimes, if not several times. As human beings, we grow and change over time and what we thought we wanted to do, to have, to become can change as well, particularly if we've really never given much thought as to what really drives us, what makes us feel alive, what just feels right no matter what.

In the film The Legend of Baggar Vance, Baggar (the caddy) tells the golfer, "Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing. Something we were born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be taught to you or learned. Something that got to be remembered."

Remembering is sometimes the hard part - remembering what it was that lit us up from the inside out when we were younger, before education, society, and even we ourselves put us in boxes.

So, if finding your passion is an area you need to work through, here are a few questions to get you started.

What did you enjoy doing when you were younger? What did it make you feel like?

What are you good at - what do others see as your gifts?

What excites you, lights your inner fire now?

What draws you as a moth to the flame - what you do read about, learn about, teach and tell others about?

Passion lives in your heart, not in your head. The flames of passion are fanned by engagement, not by thinking. What feels right in your life, right here, right now? What makes you feel alive?

As you are working through the deep contemplation these questions deserve, remember you bring into your life what you put out into the world. So commit to and love what are doing right here, right now. By doing your best in whatever you are doing today, you will uncover the light and passion within you to shine forth tomorrow.

I'll post more questions to consider here over the next couple of weeks. And, for those of you who haven't found my page on Facebook yet, click here to check it out.

Namaste!

MaXIMIze - Find Your Passion

How do you feel when you're living your passion? This quote pretty much sums it up:

“You will wake up every morning with a limitless reservoir of energy and enthusiasm. All your thoughts will be focused on your definite objective.. You won’t have time to waste time. Valuable mental power will, therefore, not be wasted on trifling thoughts. You will automatically erase the worry habit and become far more effective and productive. Interestingly, you will also have a deep sense of inner harmony, as if you are somehow being guided to realize your mission. It is a wonderful feeling.” ~ Robin Sharma

Today, I have two questions for you to ponder:

What is it that you love to do so much that you would pay to do it?

How much would it take for you not to do what you are currently doing for a living?

These questions came from listening to a couple of Brian Johnson's sessions from the En*Theos Academy - either his Philosopher's Notes on the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz or Optimal Living 101 Q&A, Session 19, I can't remember which at the moment - and a discussion with a co-worker after I said in a smart-alecky tone, "I LOVE my job!" one day in the office.

Now it should be noted that I do enjoy my current job very much. However, do I truly love it? No. Why not? Because most of the time it does not feed my fire, it does not fulfill my passion.

My passion is helping people realize that we are all human beings first and all else comes second, and from that base helping others become the best human beings they can be. I pay to learn how to express that passion more fully in life by the classes I take, the group functions I attend, and most recently attaining my professional coaching certification. I share my passion by helping other people grow, either directly by mentoring and coaching or indirectly via my Facebook page, this blog, my poetry and/or my fiction.

As to answering the second question, if I brought income in that matched what I currently make at my "day job" plus 20% doing what I truly love to do - helping others grow as human beings - I'd retire from my current job tomorrow. Heck, I 'd give my notice right now!

How can you tell the difference between doing a job you like and doing what you love? Doing what you love feeds the fire inside. And, you cannot not do what you truly love to do - you may be able to bury it for a while, ignore it, or neglect it for a time, but your passion will always boil to the surface. If you don't feed the fire that feeds you, you'll feel more numb and depressed than alive and invigorated.

So follow the light and path of your passion and the fulfillment of feeding the fire!

Namaste!