Oscar Wilde is known to have said: "Each man kills the things that he
loves." And it is true. How many times have we killed our dreams and
passions in life when we are faced with the mere possibility of actually
getting what we want? We look at all the people around us who have
failed to get what it is they want and we think to ourselves that we do
not deserve to get what we want either. We completely forget the
obstacles we overcame, all the suffering we endured and all the things
we had to give up in order to get this far. We forget.
It is so
easy to forget that which we were not passionate about the first time.
If the passion was there from the very beginning then it should still be
present at the very end. Paulo Coelho one of the best-selling and most
influential authors in the world in his book the Alchemist, points out
that we all have a personal calling; that God given chosen path that we
ought to follow here on earth. But not many of us follow this path for
we are not filled with enthusiasm yet in essence passion and enthusiasm
go hand in hand; without which it is impossible to truly understand your
life's purpose on earth.
A multi-talented friend of mine who
seemed to excel at everything an anything once commented on his
inability to truly discover what he was truly good at. In my opinion,
practically everything he touched turned to gold, be it in at work,
sports, school, the arts, and or, social relationships. I would never
have believed him had he not mentioned it to me personally because he
was one of the few people I had interacted with in my life who just
seemed well put together. They say true happiness comes when you "do"
what you're most passionate about. But what if you don't know what it is
you're passionate about? And so the question arose: how does one go
about finding their true passion?
The first step perhaps would be
to get quiet. What this means is simple. Understand that passion first
and foremost is more of an internal experience rather than an external
event. Finding your passion means connecting your head with your heart.
For many of us, this is a challenge. Our busy, chaotic lives disconnect
us from our feelings. When you are still you are able then to become
more sensitive to things in your environment that you have never noticed
before; things that express your likes and dislikes. It could be you
love buying and reading car magazines for example. This could be the
beginning of a truly successful car remodeling business.
Conversations
with friends about your gifts, strengths and weaknesses and asking
yourself certain questions can also help you getting started. For
instance, what would you do if money was not a concern in your life?
What is the one thing do you dream about most? What did you love when
you were a child? What are the five things that you're good at? Or what
would you regret not having done if you had only one more week to live?
All
things considered it's time to look for a mentor or coach; someone who
is doing exactly what you think you want to do and is succeeding.
Talking to them helps you to find out find out more about what is
involved in your passion, it may further help you realize for sure,
whether you're truly passionate about it or not.
Growing up it was
instilled in many of us that what we wanted to do was unattainable. As
the years wore on this was compounded by layers of guilt, prejudice and
fear. Taking a risk was not an option, yet this is the only way to
discover your true passion. Taking a risk means taking action. Putting
what is in the mind and heart to practice and stepping out of your
comfort zone. For some of us we discover our passions by mere accident.
It just happens! Think about Steve Sanders the little boy wonder. His
parents discovered their son's musical talent by accident when Steve was
only five years old. Herbert Sanders, Steve's father, was learning to
play a gospel song on the piano, and stopped playing abruptly in
frustration. But Steve continued singing, and began his soloist career.
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