Find Your Passion...Get Out of Your Head

In my last post I talked about discovering your WHY, in other words, what were you born to do?  What's your calling, what's your purpose, what's your passion?  All related and yet all slightly different.  Today I will focus on how to discover your passion.  I wish I could tell you it's easily discoverable or that I had the answer for you.  Unfortunately I don't know your passion and for many of you it will require some digging.  The answer truly does lie within you but first you have to be willing to explore, get out of your comfort zone and try new things.

For starters you must get out of your head and search within your heart.  Passion comes from the heart not from the logical mind.  In fact your logic may be the exact thing that is keeping you from discovering your passion.  You see, we can talk ourselves out of just about anything.  Something you love to do can be dismissed because "it's not practical", "not realistic", "couldn't make a living doing that", "too old to try new things", "too young", and the list of reasons can go on and on.  What's your excuse for not exploring the things you love?

Maybe you have not discovered things you love?  Why is that?  Afraid to get out of your comfort zone?  Afraid to try new things?  You have already decided you won't like this or that, whatever it might be?  You have to try new things to discover new things, to discover activities you may develop a passion for.  I once had a student who told me he did not like cheese because his Grandmother, who raised him, would not allow him to eat any cheese products growing up.  Then he married a women whose favorite restaurant is the Cheesecake Factory.  She tried and tried to get him to try the cheesecake but he refused insisting he did not like cheese and therefore would not like cheesecake.  Her question to him was "how do you know if you have never tried the cheesecake?"  Good question!  Finally one day to get her off his back and prove to her he did not like cheesecake he reluctantly tried a small bite.  Well much to his surprise he LOVED the cheesecake.  Another student in the same class shared a story about his passion for sailing.  He grew up on a island on the South Georgia coast and had always loved fast boats.  After marrying his bride, his father-in-law wanted to take he and his wife sailing.  His first thought was how boring, what could be fun about a boat without a powerful engine.  And while he wanted to turn down the invitation he thought that may not be a wise choice under the circumstances.    Since it was his new father-in-law he thought it best to accept the invitation.  Boy was he glad he did.  He quickly discovered he LOVED sailing as much as he loved to ski and race fast boats across the water.  That was one invitation he was glad he accepted!

Discovering your passion is much like trying the cheesecake or accepting an invitation to try something new...no matter how boring or distasteful you think it might be!  If you are unwilling to try new things you will never know what you might be missing.  So please, if you want to discover your passion be open to possibilities, reserve judgment until after your experience, and let your heart guide you.  Get out of your head and explore your heart and you will eventually discover your passion.

The Big WHY

Do you know the two most important days of your life?  I am sure you can think of many memorable and important days which have had a profound effect on the person you are and the person you strive to be. According to Mark Twain, the two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you discover why.  If you are reading this blog obviously you have experienced the first most important day but have you discovered your WHY?  I can't be certain but I think most of us want to have a good sense of why we were born and what's our purpose.  Many people spend a life time trying to discover their WHY...some do and some keep seeking, some may even eventually give up.  Discovering your WHY and living your purpose is a real game changer.  If you know your WHY making decisions becomes easier, choices more clear, and life is more meaningful.  Understanding your WHY helps you gain clarity and confidence; your commitment and contribution will be greater.

Have you discovered your WHY?  If you have your are one of the fortunate ones.  The people I know who have discovered their WHY have direction, purpose, drive, they are intentional about how the spend their time and resources, and I can see and feel their passion.  It's a beautiful thing.

If you haven't yet discovered your WHY, don't give up.  There is hope and there are things you can do to discover your WHY.  The answer of course lies within you.  I can't tell you your WHY nor can anyone else.  I can however help you on that journey, the journey to discover your WHY.  Look for upcoming blogs on how to discover your WHY but be willing to put in the work.  Until next time, remember...TODAY MATTERS, make it a masterpiece.