Is it the duties of life, your pet’s butt in your face, screaming kids or your passions — the things you love more than anything else in the world? Your passion could be for watching murder mystery shows, speaking Klingon or simply sitting and meditating with a cup of tea. Whatever it is, that fire, that PASSION is what sustains you throughout life, so are you living yours?
No one even needs to know about it (or them), but this deep, raw part of you needs to be nourished and adored — its what makes you, you. When its honored, your perspective on life begins to transform and the other things in your life change as a result.
Smokey Starts Open the Mind to Great Things
My writing didn’t start as a professional gig after the college degrees. I have been writing stories since I was 10. A one in a million, amazing 5th grade teacher saw my gift in the raw and slowly threw out cool creative exercises, testing to see if I had passion that surpassed the skills.
Through her encouragement, the more I wrote about things that impacted my life and touched my heart, I noticed a passion starting to smolder. Writing became not only a way to express myself to others, it became a way to explore me. It offered a way to feel good about BEING me, at that awkward age when girls feel confused about boys, boobs and periods. Most importantly, it helped me start to solve the riddle, “who am I really?”
My teacher’s actions changed my life. My passion for writing transcended into journaling and poetry as I headed into my teens, and I was never without a book or journal in my hand. I poured my thoughts, feelings and ideas into wordy-nerdy things that helped me to not only unload and decompress, but create beautiful prose that I would look at later and go WOW, that STILL moves me.
After I was hooked, there was never any question that writing was clearly a passion and would always be a part of my life. What was surprising was that another core life passion was on its way.
Passions Have No Limits
I relocated from the east coast to Colorado about 10 years ago, and a few years after that, I had an experience with Reiki, an ancient Japanese healing art.
To describe it succinctly, I felt like a load had completely lifted from by body, and I was able to kick up my self-awareness up a notch. After a few more sessions, I knew this healing art would become part of my life because I could not imagine not learning all there was to know about it for myself and to share with others.
The interesting part is that healing arts/ metaphysical topics are completely different than the fact-based, concrete world of the written word. Sure, there are general processes followed in sessions, but opening up my mind to the possibilities and the “looseness” of it all did more than change my perspective, it changed the way I showed up in life. I felt more in balance with the practical and emotional elements of my personal experience; I felt clear, grounded and open to the unpredictability of life.
I became so much more relaxed and accepting. I understood there was more to life than deadlines and projects and getting over bad relationships. I was going through a new phase of life discovery fueled by passion, a passion I am now folding into my life as a professional writer. It has now expanded into a passion for overall health and wellness, as well as sustainable living.
These two major passions have changed the course of my life, and led to other passions. I am willing to bet if you take the time to open up to what passions are slowly simmering in you, your energy level, excitement and love of life will transform before your eyes, opening up new doors and possibilities you never noticed right in front of you.
You owe it to yourself and your passions. Explore, and tell me what you find! I’m still exploring mine…
Photo credit: Nigel