Following Your Passion 1

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The path leading to your desires is not always clear.  How do we even find our passion?  Even if the passion is identified, the road may be full of twists, turns, and obstacles.  How do we keep going?  How do we persevere?

The phrase “follow your passion” is like the goal of “being happy.”  It is an intangible that has no clear guideline for how to achieve it.  It is the “how” that challenges most of us when we think about the intangibles of life.  We want to love what we do.  We want peace, joy, contentment, love, and success – and we want it now.  But, becoming anything is a process.  It takes adherence to techniques, to the development of skills, to retraining the mind.  Some would say that our consciousness needs to change.

Because of life’s stresses, we may not remember what it feels like to have passion.  Neverending obligations and responsibilities form the content of our days.  We have an idea of what we would like to do, but take no steps toward implementing it.  Is it because we have become fearful of trying new things?  Is it because we can’t foresee instant results?  That’s what a j-o-b brings.  We are conditioned to get a paycheck every two weeks.  When pursuing our passions, we might not see “success” for years, especially if “success” is defined as money, recognition, or status.

“Following your passion” is generally associated with making money.  Numerous self-help books tell us that we should be able to make money by doing something about which we are passionate.  This focus on compensation may blind us to what is inherently joyful.  We will constantly think, “How will I make money from this?” instead of “I love doing this so much, I want to do it as often and as much as I can.”

To identify our passions, it may help to remember our childhoods.  When I was in high school, I held almost every student government position.  I volunteered in various areas of community service.  It was a natural progression for me to choose to work in a congressional office as a college intern.  This turned into a full time job that I totally loved.  At no point prior to that employment did I think, “My perfect job would be to work in Congress” or “I am passionate about politics.”

I organically evolved into that position as a result of participating in activities that I totally enjoyed.  My interests led me to endeavors that ultimately led to a paid position.  My beloved first job exposed me to new passions, which encouraged me to venture into new and uncertain environments.

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Seeds of Life

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I think hell is something you carry around with you, not somewhere you go.  Neil Gaiman

Acceptance makes an incredible fertile soil for the seeds of change.  Steve Maraboli

An empowered life begins with serious personal questions about oneself. Those answers bare the seeds of success.  Steve Maraboli

Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow.  You have to trust God.  Pope Francis

The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever being able to do it.  Peter Pan

Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.  It will not lead you astray.  Rumi

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.   Socrates

Planting Seeds of Joy

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During my meditation, I realized that I had been creating from desperation.  Once I lost my job, I developed an intense focus on regaining and, then, maintaining employment.  There was no thought as to what I wanted to do or what would be compatible with my intentions or desires for my life.  I concentrated only on bringing in money by any means necessary.

The jobs that I created and kept out of desperation were never good for me.  I worked in stress-filled environments from which I created more stress.  I didn’t realize that I was creating the seeds of my future.  Sickness blooms from a deficient seed.  Trying to fix leaves and blossoms without addressing the roots of the tree is unproductive.

From what other negativity have I been creating?  Pessimism?  Lack of passion?  Belief in lack and limitation?  Hopelessness?  After meditation, I decided to tend to my core of joy and contentment that is eternally in the moment. Thinking about future negative possibilities causes me to live in fear and anxiety.  Thoughts held in mind produce in kind.

I look back on my life and all that I had and it was never enough.  When stressful situations occurred, I let my happy get away.  Today I acknowledge that others did not and do not take away my joy.  I have a choice.  I have the power.  I don’t know what is going to happen in the future.  I don’t know how I’m going to make it through my challenges.  But, if I can’t be joyful at all times, at least I can work on being appreciative, grateful, kind, and positive.

Knowing me is key.  When I know myself, I can better perceive the actions of others and respond instead of react.  I believe that people give, receive, and exchange energy, often in negative ways.  We may subconsciously draw anger upon ourselves to reflect feelings of inadequacy.  Our lives are mirrors.  We exchange energy based upon our levels of consciousness.   If I am aware of the love within me, I can interact with the love in another.  However, if my consciousness is at a level of pain, I will give and draw energy to me from this base.

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Choose Joy

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Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.  Henri Nouwen

The same walls we have put up to protect ourselves are the same ones that keep us from awareness of our abundance and joy.  Robin Hart

The less you respond to rude, critical, argumentative people, the more peaceful your life will become.  Mandy Hale

Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward. C.S. Lewis

You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.  Yogi Bhajan

We are like the little branch that quivers during a storm, doubting our strength and forgetting we are the tree – deeply rooted to withstand all life’s upheavals.  Dodinsky

What is Joy Worth?

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I am coming into a fuller understanding of being joy.  It’s like losing weight.  I have to decide that the unhealthy food I want to eat is not worth my health, my appearance, and my self-confidence.  Likewise, I have to decide that external circumstances are not worth the loss of my joy.  I truly enjoy feeling content, happy, and at peace; therefore, I want to get into the habit of choosing joy, happiness, and fulfillment.

I now ask myself about people and circumstances – is this worth my joy?  With regard to food, a friend of mine said she asked herself, “Is this worth gaining weight?” each time she chose not to eat something fattening.  She said that, with time and continuous practice, she didn’t even have to think about choosing.  She just didn’t eat certain items.  That’s where I want to be with my joy.

I think about the effects of oppression and discrimination and other forms of unfair treatment.  As a result of my personal experience, I became suspicious of statements and behavior.  My negative interpretations became protective devices.  Once one has been hurt many times, one tries to anticipate situations of pain based upon past hurtful behavior.  This then becomes cyclical.  If you anticipate pain, you usually incur it, if only because you tense up and don’t speak freely or positively.  Therefore, you potentially invite the hurt that you were trying not to incur.

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Be Right With Yourself

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The illumined walk without fear – by Grace.  Joel Goldsmith

Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict.  Dorothy Thompson

Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.  Henri Nouwen

Conditions don’t have to be right.  You have to be right.  Joel Osteen

Quotations From Thich Nhat Hanh

When we remember to speak words which are true, kind, and constructive, we nourish a beautiful flower in our hearts, and we can offer its sweet fragrance to everyone.

Breathing in, I calm my body.  Breathing out, I smile.  Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

The Practice of Living

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Every day, I look for ways in which I can live in greater accordance with my beliefs and intentions.  In meditation, I feel at one with Spirit, peaceful, and filled with rightful thinking.  Yet, as soon as I walk out the door, my habitual thoughts, speech, and behavior slap me right in the face.  Although I see improvement, I am constantly rephrasing and correcting speech and conduct, and evaluating how I could have spoken and behaved more productively.

Present Moment Womderful Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh is a book full of “mindfulness verses” to help the reader realize the wonder in every activity. I create my own statements to respond instead of react to various situations. Nevertheless, I read Present Moment as a reference, guide, and inspiration.  The following are a few ways in which I reprogram my mind throughout the day:

  • Verse 2 in Present Moment states: “Walking on Earth is a miracle!” This reminds me to be thankful for every step that I take.  Despite all of the things about which I could complain, it really is a blessing to be alive, to have one more minute to breathe.
  • Waking up is awesome! When I don’t want to get out of bed, I give thanks for the opportunity to lie in my bed for awhile in silence.  I give thanks that I am warm, that I have a bed, that I have a house and utilities that work.  On my closet door is the following morning statement by Charles Fillmore: “I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm, and I spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”

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