“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” Oprah Winfrey
I am on the warpath to get everyone to stop the needless search to “find their passion”. People mean well when they encourage us to spend more time doing what makes us feel happier and more fulfilled but the results are often the opposite of the intention. Your passion is not lost or hidden… you just have to activate it!
Passion Paralysis For years when asked about my passion, I would get a knot in my stomach. Was I the only one who couldn’t find my passion? Were opportunities to create a meaningful, purpose-filled and happy life moving out of my reach because I was forgetful and couldn’t remember where my passion was? I was determined to find my purpose (waiting for the passion fairy to wave her wand) so I could focus my energies and efforts for the most effect and meaning.
The fallacy inherent in “looking for your passion” is that it directs us to look outside of ourselves, and to think of it as a single, tangible treasure to be unlocked. It prompts us to start a Hero’s Journey, armed and ready to battle our way to the one true passion that will inspire us, and become the focus of our lives and work.
Too often, the waiting and searching becomes an excuse to remain stuck in the familiar, unwilling to try anything new until our path has been illuminated by our new-found passion. And as a result, nothing actually changes or happens.
Passion is Energy In the past couple of years, I have been thrilled to discover that, as Oprah suggests, my passion is really an energy that I have always had. Like some of my upper body muscles, it was a bit out of shape and needed some exercise. And, like working with a trainer, I started working my passion regularly. Consciousness and discipline reactivated it - making it stronger and more available. With practice, I began to feel happier and to experience more meaning in my life.
I love to share my point of view with anyone who is willing to listen or read. Yet, writing does not come easily or naturally to me. It takes work. It takes energy. It takes passion. And, I need to write about what inspires me or intrigues me in order to grow my passion energy and push through my resistance. Instead of waiting for my passion to move me, I am strengthening my passion by writing every day, no matter how I feel in that specific moment. I know that over time, both my passion and my ability to write will grow.
Reactivate Your Passion – 3 Hacks I encourage you to think of passion as the energy to do more of what interests and intrigues you. It is the energy to step out of the known, to push yourself to learn new things and to keep going even when taking the next step is challenging. Passion starts as a small flame of curiosity and is nurtured by time, experimentation and connection to others who are interested and intrigued by the same things.
Here are a few ideas for reactivating your passion:
Get curious: Commit to noticing what intrigues you every day. Explore what prompts you to ask a question, to want more information and to seek out someone knowledgeable who can help you learn something new. Curiosity is the match to light your passion energy. It fires it up and directs it down a variety of pathways that have the potential to take you to some very interesting places.
Take One (Even Small) Action: Action is critical to activating and nurturing your passion energy. Without action, your curiosity or question simply disappears into the ether, as the old parts of your brain pull you back toward the familiar and usual. When you have a question or wonder about something, take action, even a small action, as quickly as possible. Write it down, search it on Google, ask someone about it or simply do one small thing differently. All of these actions add fuel to perpetuating your passion.
Nurture What Interests You: Nurture your passion by continuing to learn more about what interests you. Read about it, learn about it, meet with other people who are interested in it and get involved in group efforts that focus on it. Watch how passions create new possibilities in your life and and in your career as you pursue them.