When we are asked what we do for a vocation, does it sound more like a job or a passion? Could you sell your profession to a stranger looking for something new? Do you get excited about your work? Many of us have a job, and if we are lucky, a really good career. Maybe we tolerate the job because there are good benefits and we like our co-workers. Perhaps, we loved teaching or the law years ago, but it seems to have lost it luster in recent years. We can look back and count the years until we retire, and maybe collect some sort of pension. If we are lucky…right?
But what about the people who are visionaries and their passion has evolved into who they have always been and are meant to be? The ones we all look at and silently wish to ourselves, “I want that…”
Do you know what your “that” even is if you had to describe it? Could you even try to explain it? What does that sound like?
This weekend, I chatted with someone I don’t know very well about my passion and what I write and why I write. She will learn a lot about me by reading the words she finds on these pages and elsewhere. Like many of you, she is trying to figure out what feeds her soul, so I left her with one question. It is the only question that needs to be asked when we come to a crossroads like this and although this answer may seem simple, it is not. The answer will always make you take a long hard, look at who you are and where you want to be. In addition to connecting with her, I reconnected with someone else that I had drifted away from and although I never understood why, I was honest in sharing with her that I had enjoyed seeing her over the last few months. And she shared with me why she “pulled up stakes” when it came to our friendship and I was humbled by her reasoning, yet very glad she is where she is now. And now, I can share my passion with her. I have seen this woman give her heart away because that is who she is…THAT is her passion.
Ever known someone who uses words to describe who they are by what they do?
For example, Michael Phelps would say he is a swimmer and his passion is swimming. Rachel Ray would describe herself as a cook and loves cooking. Bruno Mars must love singing because he is a singer. Everyone that we see on TV, read about in the papers, or even just living two doors down from you has the same opportunity to live their passions. To let heart and soul take over. When excitement overcomes fear. When there is no going back. It is as it is meant to be.
Some people are going to never want more than what they have. And there is nothing wrong with that. I know many people who are either afraid of change, don’t want to change, or okay with nothing changing. That is their life.
But those of us who decide to take a chance and decide to really do something with our lives are the bravest of them all. Many people want to take that leap…few actually do it. Have you got what it takes to step off that ledge? Read more about how here.
If you were asked what you do, what would you say? Would someone you just met be just as excited about what you do as you are? Would they want to hear more? Can you captivate them so much that you leave with a nagging feeling that feels like they just started a new book, and the pages got really exciting, and then you walked away? That is what you do when your passion defines you! No one can brag about their passion…because your passion is about why you were born and the reason you are here.
We all have talents and gifts and our passion shines through when we share those talents and gifts with others. Sometimes, we make conscious efforts to share our talents. Our sons could be coaching a baseball team, playing their guitar, or being in a school musical and we get to see what they love….what feeds their soul…where their passions lie.
Other talents and gifts are no so noticeable and may get overlooked. We forget to look at them as gifts. Some people have great fashion sense and can through together an outfit that looks like it just came out of the latest fashion magazine, while others just make others feel important because they remember special occasions.
What are your gifts and talents?
Your gifts and talents are tied to your passion. What you do well and the fact that you love to do it tells you so. But most people do not find the courage to put them both together. They dismiss their gifts and yet secretly yearn for more chances to share them with others. Why? Maybe it is because we are afraid of bringing unwanted attention or possible criticism. Maybe we don’t consider it really a gift. Perhaps it is because it feels too good to be something I can share. In a conversation I had with a few friends today, we are ALL wanting to find the positive and the feel good vibes because they are so difficult to find in this crazy, unfair life. No one does a Google search for sites that include titles like, “All Things Negative” or “Toxic Attitudes Wanted.” It doesn’t happen. You and I both know it.
If we all agree that we need to share our gifts and talents, and that we all crave that feeling where our hearts are given permission to live, why don’t we do it? Why don’t we allow that calling…that thing we love to do…be our calling card? We need to let it stain others so that long after our conversation has ended, that they need to know how you did it. Because they will want to do it as well.
Think about how you describe yourself…are you a baseball player because you love baseball? Are you a mechanic because you love working on cars? Are you a nurse because you love caring for others?
Make sure your gifts and talents complement your passion. Use them to define who you are. Once you do that, you will never have to ask that question again. The lucky ones are the ones that live this life…
Michelle A. Homme 2014 ©
Constant Change, LLC
