Find Your Passion, Live With Purpose

Passion is a strong feeling that combines desire, love and happiness. It is a feeling so delicious that when we are in it’s hold, we lose all track of time.

When we allow ourselves to feel our passion, in that moment, we know we are one with all things.

Joy’s Story:

Fifteen years ago, I walked away from my high paying, high stress job, not knowing what was next for me. I was a single parent, had very little money in the bank, and I was terrified. After 25 years in the corporate world, I knew more about what I didn't want than what I did want. So, I met with people, conducted informational interviews with them and heard their stories. I built a network of people who supported me spiritually and emotionally through my transition. One of those people was my mentor, Kent Black. At the time Kent was the V. P. of Drake Beam Moran, one of the largest outplacement firms in the world. As I talked with Kent, I realized that his career path was very similar to mine. After many years in the Advertising Industry, he left to pursue his passion – helping people. He told me that even though advertising was an exciting and glamorous world, it left him unfulfilled. So, like me, he decided to make a change. He entered a program at Drake Beam as a client, worked with their counselors, did their exercises, and found that his real passion was helping people find passion in their work. Ten years after leaving advertising he became the Vice President of Drake Beam. It helps to hear other people’s stories because we can start to feel our own passion through them. Kent and I had many wonderful talks, and he helped me to develop my business as a Life Coach. Fifteen years later, he is still a very integral part of my life.

Important To Remember:

Passion is not something “out there” that we are pursuing. It is something deep within us. First, we need to decide to live a passionate life. Here’s some questions to ask yourself:

1. What are the things I love to do?
2. What are those things I do where time seems to stand still?
3. When, in the past, have I felt really passionate about something?
4. What was going on in that time of my life?
5. How do I feel about my passion?
6. Is it something that scares me?

We are all human, and sometimes our passions can elude us, scare us, and make us feel vulnerable. Write about your passion. Develop a relationship with it. When you give yourself the gift of passion, you realize that your passion will propel you to do things that you wouldn't normally do. It can cause you to go far beyond where you thought you were capable of going. And for those of you, who are living and working your passion, ask yourself the following questions:

1. How can I go deeper into my passion?
2. What will I do to expand my life, my work, and my network using my passion?
3. What do I really stand for?
4. Is passion enough?

Make a list of those things your passionate about and focus on them. What we focus on . . . expands! So, what are you focusing on? Here are some of the things you said when I asked you to make a list of things you are passionate about:

1. Spirituality
2. Creativity
3. Metaphysics
4. Life
5. Relationships
6. Adventure
7. Food
8. Education & Change
9. Learning
10. Personal freedom
11. Health
12. Being Resourceful
13. Helping People
14. Our Youth
15. Family
16. Honesty
17. Ethics
18. Respect

Add more to the list. Here are some of the things on my list to give you ideas:

1. My daughter and watching her life unfold.
2. James, my life partner, and the wonderful things we create together.
3. My work, helping people succeed and watching the choices they make.
4. My dream to retire and live on the beautiful coast of Oregon.
5. My writing.
6. Travel, exploring new places and meeting new people.
7. Listening to music.
8. Painting.
9. Hot Air Balloon rides.
10. Growing and achieving my goals.
11. Expanding my network.
12. Laughing with friends.
13. The environment.
14. My travel business.
15. Being true to myself.

You see how this works? It’s amazing what happens when you decide to live a passionate life. Ideas flow! Creativity flows!

Feelings:

So many people struggle with their feelings. Giving yourself permission to feel your feelings is a gift you give to yourself. Feelings are a barometer that tells us what to do next. They teach us about ourselves. As you explore your feelings and learn how to manage them rather than allowing them to manage you, you realize that your own capacity to love and feel passion deepens. Below you will find a list of 52 feelings. Which ones are you in touch with? Which ones do you deny in yourself?

Joy’s Final Challenge:

Most of you have goals. Here’s an exercise that you can do that will get you in touch with your deeper passions. My advise to you is to “feel” your desire deeply when you write this. One of my clients completed this exercise and read it to me with tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, “Wow! I guess I really want this, don’t I?!!!” She wrote about what she truly wanted her life to be 5 years in the future. And before she did the exercise, she hadn't realized how important her passions were to her. Here’s how it works:

5 Year Projection

Visualization is an extremely effective way to create your life. If you have done this before, you know what I am talking about. If not, you are in for a surprise. To create the life that you want to live, it’s important to get clear on what you want and what is truly important to you.

The best way to do this is to start with a meditation or grounding technique. Quiet your mind, stay open, tune into your inner voice, and write from your heart. Allow your intuition to guide you.

What you will be doing in this exercise is writing about your future as if you are already there. So, start with the year. Example:

It’s 2011 and . . .

Imagine yourself in that year. What are you doing with your life? Where are you living? Describe the house you live in. What does it look like inside? When you open your front door to go outside, what do you see? Be as detailed and specific as possible. Write about your friends. Who are they? Are you in a relationship with someone? Married? Children? What do you do for fun? Vacations? Where? When? With whom? Then, write about your work. Describe a day in your life from the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed. Do you work in your home? Do you work with other people? What traits and values do these people have? How are those traits and values aligned with yours? What are you known for? What is your relationship to work? Define it! What about work/life balance? Have you achieved that? What does that look like for you? How much money do you make annually? What is your net worth? Be specific about everything you write about. Let it flow, and don’t second-guess yourself. Open up, and . . . just write!

Here's a great statement to finish: "Looking back over the past 5 years, it's clear to me that the three most important things I needed to learn in order to be successful were _________, ____________, and _________."

The point is that whatever you write about and feel excited about is important. Feel the smile on your face while you write. See the spark in your eye. Let yourself have your dreams. Write them down. We’re all different, and we get to have what we want. Give yourself permission to have these things. And, remember to have fun with this exercise.

You are what your deep, driving desire is.
As your desire is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny.

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