FINDING YOUR PASSION

 FINDING YOUR PASSION

If someone asked me the question of what is it that I am passionate about, I probably could come up with a variety of answers. Whether they were right or wrong? Who is to say? It is my belief that I should follow my dream. A passion about something is not just a dream. I now know (with age and experience) that I need to have time to think about what it means, allowing me the opportunity to reflect and think how it makes me feel and does it feel right? Actually have a moment of gratitude about these passions.

Being passionate is not something that everyone is born with. It is an actual option for how somebody chooses to live their lives and then becoming involved in the pursuit of working towards it.

Always easier said than done, but finding your passion and then pursuing it is the key to happiness. For me, there are many things that I like doing. I needed to find out which ones bring me more joy or give me a feeling of satisfaction. I used a journal and wrote down what I feel passion about. Then start to work on pursuing them.

It is not a selfish thing to follow your passion. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to passions. I had to break myself out of this habit and find ways, NEW ways, to express myself and to enjoy my passions more often. Retirement helped a bunch to find that time.

A matter of doing something every day to improve my skills is where I chose to start. 

Now that the pandemic has slowed down enough to even think about travel, I have decided to plan out two trips. One involving one way by train to New Orleans and then following up with a one way trip back on a River Cruise up the Mississippi River. Spoiler alert: and spending a few nights with twin granddaughters while in New Orleans. Planning the trip is where the passion comes into play.

Painting is another passion that I know is deeply rooted within me. Like my Grandmother, I did not discover how much I loved painting and what joy it brought to me until later in life. My hopes are that I can paint my own Christmas cards to send to some close friends and family this year. Spending time sketching and practicing what I will paint on the cards is the joy of it all.

While working on becoming more passionate, I found out that it is okay and I should be passionate in about everything that I do. Not just one thing. I will never know where one or more may take me so I just need to go for it. Having an open mind to try new things and possibly changing my feelings about something is a good thing. 

For example: I know that hiking, no matter how open minded I may be is not going to be one of my passions. First of all, I am a fair weather walker. Hikers hike through all elements. I do not like bugs and all of the things that go with hiking. Not to mention my knees would not hold up to it. Being realistic is important in finding our passions.

When I was searching for my career path in life, my passion was with teaching. I did enjoy that and it brought me great happiness. Thank goodness it still does to a large number of teachers, however, the number is dwindling with all of the red tape involved in teaching and then add in the low pay scale. One really must have a driving passion for teaching to stick with it. In my own opinion, teaching is an Art. This is in total conflict with politicians who believe it is a Science and everyone needs to be teaching the same way to every student. I will just stop there. I know those who are passionate teachers know exactly what I am talking about. I feel for you.

Cooking is a big passion that I very much enjoy doing with my husband. New recipes pop up all the time and we enjoy trying them out. We usually have a Plan B if something does not work out. I am proud to say that this does not happen very often. I adore watching Steve cook. He truly cooks with such passion. There is love in every bite when we have our meal that he is the chef and I am the sous chef. I believe that we both feel this way.

Let me express what has become my current life passion. It is writing. I started a novel quite a while back. Have I finished it yet? No! Will I? YES! And then it is off to an editor. I must learn to stop editing it over and over myself and get a good ending to it. A matter of me putting myself out there and not be afraid of failure is part of turning it over to an editor and if lucky, then an agent. I have read that many major authors had their first books turned down. So I am prepared.

In order to continue this love of writing, I do write a weekly blog and have for a number of years. I also write in my journal daily. Stored in boxes and some in my closet are years of journals telling the tales of my daily life. Will anyone ever read them? Who knows? I just know that it brought me great joy each day. It helps me plan out my next day and not get too frustrated about the way certain things turn out. It is a matter of living life to the fullest.

 

 “Finding your passion isn’t just about careers and money. It’s about finding your authentic self. The one you’ve buried beneath other people’s needs.”

 Anonymous