A life without passion is like the expression on a super model’s face as they walk down the catwalk modelling haute couture only a crazy person would wear and trying not to snap in half – blank, soulless and slightly pained.
Passion makes us do crazy things like jump up and down on Oprah’s couch a la Tom Cruise.
Passion motivates us to fight for causes like the Greenpeace Warriors.
Passion challenges us to go beyond what we think we’re capable of like reaching the summit of a mountain.
Passion is the little pangs of excitement you get when you think about your kids, your partner, your next trip or your favourite thing to do.
Passion is where you’re so immersed in that which you’re passionate about, a decade could pass and you wouldn’t know it (that explains what happened to the 90′s).
Stop and think for 1 minute about the level of passion in your life. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being passionless and 10 being passion filled), what rating would you give yourself? Be honest now.
If you’re a 10, your life is more like Jim Carey’s facial expression than a super model’s. Good for you. If you’re a 1, don’t despair, think of it as an opportunity to inject more soul, fun and meaning into your existence.
Now, you may be thinking, OK so I’d really like to up the passion factor but I don’t even really know what I’m passionate about. If this is you, here’s a simple way to uncover your passions;
Think back to when you were a child and remember how you spent your time.
Now I’m not suggesting that your passions lie in eating mud pies or riding a bike into a dam (although if you haven’t ridden a bike into a body of water you don’t know what you’re missing), but there are often clues from your childhood as to what is meaningful to you.
When you’re a kid, your focus is generally all about fun and adventure. You couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the ozone layer much less care if Johnny next door thinks your Donald Duck t-shirt and matching shorts are too cool for words. Your priorities are fun, play, total enjoyment and food, and pretty much in that order.
It stands to reason then, that when your focus is entirely on yourself and what you enjoy and you have plenty of time and freedom available to do whatever the hell you want, you’re not going to waste your time doing things you dislike (except homework and washing dishes but they are generally the necessary evils of being a child).
That said, take a look back at what you spent your time doing as a child when you were left to your own devices. Take me for instance, I spent a good portion of my time outdoors, hanging out with and generally conversing, albeit in a one-sided manner with various four legged friends of the equine and k9 variety (I also had 2 green tree frogs called Bert and Ernie but they didn’t always make themselves available – they only came out at night).
I also had a penance for using persuasive techniques (money) to encourage (coerce) my siblings and cousins to undertake crazy dares like cart wheeling down the road naked, extracting honey from an active bee hive and touching the electric fence. To this day my cousin insists I still owe him $2.70 plus interest. Seems I wasn’t always ever good for the cash (that explains my past life as a marketer).
I also loved creative pursuits like sketching, writing, building elaborate cubby houses and creating games. When I look back at what I loved to do as a kid and then see if there are any reoccurring themes now, I can see that my passions include;
- Nature, outdoors, environment.
- A love for animals, especially horses and dogs.
- Collaboration and connection with people, leadership and bringing people together (and not necessarily for naked cartwheeling or for cash for that matter).
- Writing, combined with photography and multimedia.
Sometimes the reoccurring themes throughout your life are not so obvious but they are generally there if you take the time to look. Once you see the themes though, you have more of an idea as to what you can re-introduce into your adult world.
So what’s it gonna be? A soulless supermodel type expression existence or a “somebody stop me!” Jim Carey type life?
What did you do as a kid? See any reoccurring themes in adulthood? What was your passion rating?
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Uncovering your passion is simple. As you have stated here when we were once young. We know our knacks from the beginning but we have doubts about it.
I’m glad to have accepted mine.
I would have to say that right now i am not particularly passionate about anything tbh. When i was a kid i used to play football, basketball, cricket, table tennis, tennis, sing in a choir, play the piano learn to dance at the weekends (ballroom latin etc) and now i don’t play any sports really, don’t sing, play piano or dance. I have a degree in something that isn’t helping me get a job. I spend each day watching TV and job hunting for anything and everything just to get some money to pay the rent. My life is most definitely passion-less right now. But saying all that i am grateful for a lot of things, of which there’s too many to list, so life is most definitely not all bad
I am pretty sure I was outside a lot (I lived on a farm), learned piano and trumpet, played netball and tennis (like most country kids), liked bossing people around (apparently, I get reminded often) and organising and talking, helping Mum bake, gardening and mowing the grass, read a lot, tried my hardest to draw/paint/etc without success. When I got a bit older I loved taking photos.
Reoccurring themes – taking lots (and lots) of photos, being outdoors, exploring and generally being active. I still enjoy reading, interacting with people and really enjoy cooking, baking and all that home-type stuff.
I would like to find more passions though and how I can use them more actively, I am just starting to figure all this stuff out:)
Thanks for getting me thinking!
What a great post about passion! I consider myself a passionate person (though I can’t quite decide where I fall on your scale, which I love by the way) but I don’t always direct my passion to the right things (like writing my book!). I need to work on that!
Sami, for me it was the outdoors, lots of alone/thinking time, lots of daydreaming, animals to be my friends (dogs, cats, gerbils, mice, hamsters, snakes, birds), getting lost in books. . .
And today? Hah! the outdoors, lots of alone/thinking time, lots of daydreaming, animal friends (my 6-year-old papillon), GARDENING, WRITING, getting lost in blogs
, making friends with garden insects. The big addition to my “grown-up” list is: enjoying people!
I think I’m a passionate 10, but I have to admit the passion is not always jump up-and-down-and holler thing; sometimes it’s just a I’m-so-happy-I-could-burst feeling.
@Walter
Hi Walter, I’m glad to have accepted mine too, although for me, it did take a while to figure them out. It was looking back to what I valued when I was young that helped me understand why I love the things I do. Thanks for stopping by.
@MartYn
Hey MartYn, yes, I can see it would be a challenge to find the passion in job hunting, sourcing income and watching TV! Perhaps look for the passion in the fact that you’re traveling and having amazing experiences (good and not so good). Perhaps your passion is trying new things and having new adventures and not necessarily sport or music as such?? Hang in there, it’ll work out.
@Valeska
It’s interesting how our passions from childhood play out later on. From what you’ve said, there are definitely relatable themes for you. I see a creative streak and the ability to work with/lead people.
Haha, had to laugh at the bossy thing. Hmmm, can relate to that me thinks!
@Positively Present
Thanks PP. It’s not often we stop and ask ourselves how passionate we are on a scale of 1 to 10 (it can be a bit of a wake up call at times!). I have every faith you’ll get there with the book. It’ll happen.
@Jeanne
Hi Jeanne, I can relate to your childhood. And yep, it looks like pretty much all of it has transferred across into your adult life! A child at heart eh? Yay for the 10 too! The world needs more people like you!
Well it looks like my luck has changed. Literally 2 hours after posting on this entry, i had a phone call asking me to go for an interview. I went for the interview today and got offered the job on the spot, yey
I am now going to be a ‘punter’ on the avon. If you do a quick google search you will see i’ll be wearing very ‘special’ clothing, consisting of suspenders (for trousers), a tie, a straw hat and a blazer. I’m going to look a right *$#% haha. Ow well its pennies in the pocket
@MartYn
Hey Martini, yay! Congratulations!! Oh, I can’t WAIT for those pics!
I did the typical boy things of the 60′s baseball, swimming, basketball, bicycling, tromping around in the woods, fishing, hunting, making a dice-based solo player baseball game, reading and today I am still tromping around in the woods, fishing etc. My passions are teaching others, reading, being outdoors and being active.
My job is not currently my passion and I am re-thinking that but holding on to what I have until I do and make my work life closely resemble the things I am passionate about.
Great post to make me think again from a different angle.
Harold
@Harold
Hi Harold. There seem to be a couple of themes that have come through to your adult years. And re your job, if you are not able to find aspects of it that you’re passionate about, bringing your passions in to your personal life as much as possible will definitely help until you work out what you can do career-wise. Thanks for stopping by!