From the "Passion Unlocks Prosperity" series:
Finding Your Passion
Finding your passion is a phrase that evokes all manner of responses.
For some it refers to the experience of letting go and losing yourself doing something you love. For others passion is the secret to unleashing a powerful driving force. The kind of self generating energy that has the potential to propel you into exciting new activities and directions in your life.
However you define passion one thing is clear: For most people, finding your passion is nothing more than a daydream!
Following your passion and living a life of joy and fulfillment is not a common everyday activity.
In fact, the average person can probably count on their fingers the number of times they have actually experienced a real passion for something, much less actually doing something about it. How can this be? There are a number of factors which contribute to the lack of passion in your life.
The three most common are:
1. The way you were raised.
2. How you feel about yourself.
3. The importance you place on your personal joy and fulfillment.
In many families, as well as in many aspects of society, you are taught and encouraged to make doing what makes you happy, secondary to "more important things" like getting a "real" job.
When I started touring as a 20 year old musician I was making more money each week than most people twice my age did. I could buy anything I wanted and never thought much about money. I was having the time of my life!
The advice I got from my father was: "You had better go to college and get a diploma so you have something to fall back on". Fall back on? I was too busy falling forward doing what I loved!
I really can't blame him for his advice.
For many people, doing what you love becomes your hobby not your job. This was the commonly held belief of my generation and surprisingly, is still the norm today. We are a society where selling your time for money takes precedent over having a passion for what you do and living a life of joy and fulfillment.
The fact is, too many people are busy working at jobs that do not reflect who they believe they really are. Finding your passion within your job is a rare thing indeed. So most of us resolve ourselves to make the best of it because we believe we need the security and benefits provided by the job.
If finding your passion means you have to face the truth that you are not living the life you are supposed to be living... just the thought of "passion" can be a frightening place for many to visit.
