Yippee! It’s Monday. I am dying to get started with this exciting week.
Do you utter these words while making your way out of the bed on
Monday mornings? Do you jump out of bed every morning in the state of
excitement?
If your answer to this is “ Yes” then let me tell you that you are already living a life full of passion.
But if you are like most of us who are sleepwalking through life your
answer to this would be “No! I would prefer to stay in the state of
slumber. My dream world is far more alluring than my real world.”
We all go through life dealing with mundane matters. There are times
when we feel that there is something missing in life, that there is
something more to life. We might even try to dismiss this feeling of
inner void by saying “ How could I be so greedy? My life is just fine. I
should stop asking for more and be happy with what I have.” With this
notion deeply rooted in our mind, we consider ourselves to be happy. But
deep down our heart we are still craving for a life that is more joyous
and more exciting.
Whether we realize it or not, this kind of superficial living is self
–destructive. We are sabotaging our growth and falling prey to our
circumstances. Our life is meant to be colorful and enthralling and
passion is what makes our life fulfilling in the true sense. Everyone is
capable of pursuing their passion. All we need is a little effort
towards creating our dream life.
What is “Passion”?
The word passion has lost its charm and true meaning these days. We
find people using this word when they are vaguely referring to a desire
or hobby. Passion goes beyond the realms of wants and desires. We all
wish for several things in our life. But are we really passionate about
them? Are we ready to go out of our way to achieve them? We need to
ponder over these questions to identify our passions and discern them
from mere wants.
Why is passion so imperative in life?
A source of motivation
On windy days we often notice leaves tossing and turning around,
acting according to the whims of the wind. The wind says “Go east”. The
leaf goes east. The wind says “ Go west”. The leaf goes west. The wind
says “ Stop”. The leaf stops flying. Without passion we are like this
leaf. We might know where we want to go but our lack of motivation will
easily derail us from our track. Our Passion transforms us into an
arrow. The storm might knock the arrow off course but it would keep
flying. Passion provides us motivation to keep moving whenever life
tries to knock us down.
The secret of success
Have you ever noticed that most of the millionaires and successful
entrepreneurs are high school drop outs. Almost none of them finished
college. What makes it possible for these people who might seem ordinary
to have an extraordinary life? The answer is passion. Think of all
great achievers and you will be struck by their passion. Mahatma
Gandhi’s passion for human rights, Winston Churchill’s passion for
freedom, Bill Gates’s passion for technology. All these successful
people have proved the fact that “The only path leading to success is
the path paved with passion.”
Now that you know why passion is so relevant in life, let us look into some ways to nurture passion in life.
Ways to rekindle passion in life:
Look within
“I just can’t find my passion” I often hear people say. In this world
where we are tuned in, logged on or dialed in virtually non- stop,
taking time to let ourselves contemplate is very rare. But quiet
reflective time is all it takes to find our passion. Try taking a trip
down memory lane. What was that one thing you could for hours and hours
when you were a child? It gave you so much pleasure that you lost track
of time. I discovered most of my passions by ruminating over the things I
loved to do as a child.
Beware of the thief
Our passion is like a precious pearl we possess. There is a thief who
goes around stealing our passions. This thief of passion is nothing but
fear. Fear of change, fear of failure, fear of stepping out of our
comfort zone.
This fear is what deters most people from pursuing their
passion. If you want to live a more fulfilling life then you have to let
go of your fears. Never let your passion get stolen by your fears.
Shield your passion from naysayers
“ Have you gone crazy” “ Forget it you will never make it” This is
what we get to hear when we decide to go off the beaten path to pursue
our passion. Do not let these pessimistic people derail you from your
path.
Following the herd will not get you anywhere but following you
heart will surely take you to your dreams. So shield yourself form the
outer noise and just tune into your heart.
Align your passion with your profession
Your passion need not be restricted to your weekends. Many people
have found ways to turn their passion into rewarding career. I recently
read an article about a bus driver in Chicago who sings while he drives.
Apart from attracting passengers his unique style of driving attracted
even the media. When he was being interviewed on television, he said
“Don’t call me a driver. I am a professional singer. My passion is
singing not driving. I only drive to get a captive audience every single
day”. Here is a person who has found a creative way to align his
passion with his occupation. Like this “Singing driver” you too can find
ways to align your job with your passion.
Mingle with passionate people
Ever noticed that person who always seems to have spring in his step
and a spark in his eyes. Passionate people can easily be spotted in a
flock of people. They have an aura of positivity and charm that draws
other people to them. And what more their passion is contagious so that
the people who interact with them also get infected with it. Whenever
you feel that you have lost your fire get around these fire lighters. By
spending time with passionate people you can’t help getting infected
with their passion.
Keep your eyes wide open
Explore for new passions when you feel that the old ones have just
faded away. Do not hesitate to experiment. You never know when you
would stumble upon a new one that can rekindle the joy in life. I
personally believe in having a variety of passions in life. I feel each
of my passions add a new color to my life thereby making it more
colorful.
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