This is the last fall I will have a school age child at home. While he’ll be in college this time next year, it’s not the same, as nearly all of the colleges he is applying to are a plane ride away. In short, it’s made me think a lot more about life in general, what it means to be getting older and an “empty nester,” and what are the keys to a successful life regardless of age, health status etc.
I’m pretty convinced that the important things in life can be boiled down to a few basic “gotta haves”: people in your life that you love and who love you; purpose; and passion. Hmm three P’s- people, purpose and passion. So how does one cultivate these?
Instead of trying to cram them all into one post, each will be explored over the coming weeks as well as their inter relations. Today’s pick is passion. How does one find a passion if they don’t already have it?
Chances are good that you already have a passion but haven’t called it that. What is it that you think about it or do that absorbs you? That you love? What makes you smile? Talk about? Read and learn about? It doesn’t have to a career or job but it’s nice if it works out that way. It is the thing that you want to do.
I’ve read many an article on making your passion your career. It’s a nice concept, but sometimes what we love doing, such as being a quilter or a lover of 17th century fiction, can be ruined for us by making a job out of it. Besides which, an ideal passion should last a life time.
In her article “Find Your Passion in Three Steps,” Mary DeMuth talks about why we’re afraid to find passion-fear of rejection; the need to do something about it; it may be something that others think is worthless etc. Regardless, knowing your passion and engaging in it have positive consequences. It can increase happiness as well as life expectancy.
One of DeMuth’s steps is the “three movie exercise.” List your three favorite movies and then see what the common thread might be.
That was not an easy task, so I started to think about films that I will watch again and again. It didn’t take long for me to realize a common thread. I like “slice of life” films, those movies, which look at a finite period of time in a person(s) life and explore it. Yes, that’s a good reflection of my interests. I am fascinated by the choices we humans make, what makes us happy, how we respond in various situations and so forth.
Another indicator of our passion can be answered by asking our friends what they think we’re passionate about. Their responses may yield new insights.
It seems fitting to end this post with one of the best examples of living one’s passion- Steve Job’s Speech at Stanford’s graduation, Among his closing remarks was the following, Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
For addition information, try Finding your passion.
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