Let’s begin this process of discovery regarding the areas of life to which you have a natural affinity (and I’m not talking about the couch or the refrigerator here). We are going to start with feelings, because feelings are the outcomes that activities provide. For example, We often do things because we like the way they make us feel. We enjoy giving, because it “feels good”. We enjoy being in love because it makes us “feel good”. If you have a hobby, like motocross riding or even quilting, you do these things for the feelings they provide. Motocross provides feelings of exhilaration, of feeling alive and powerful; while quilting might provide one with a sense of quiet contentment and satisfaction in regards to their creative abilities. So the first step in unleashing your personal passion is to determine for yourself the types of feelings that you as an individual desire to have in your life to make it seem worthwhile to you. Some common positive feelings that people tend to identify with include the following, although the list is by no means exhaustive: (joy, peace, love, excitement, anticipation, confidence, courage, gratitude, and amusement).
Knowing the feelings that you desire to have more of in your life is an important step. The next step is to begin to identify the type(s) of activities you can engage in to produce these feelings. Do the feelings you desire share a common theme? Quite often they do, and considered together they can provide insight into the types of activities that will bring you more passion and a greater sense of personal fulfillment. Does everyone have to grow a beard and climb to the top of a mountain to be happy? Of course not! Personal fulfillment for some may include being a firefighter, doctor, artist, mother, novelist, etc. The key is that the choice is truly up to you. You are completely and totally in charge of your own life purpose (dharma) and your own happiness.
Having discovered the types of feelings that make life worthwhile for us and the types of activities that will produce these feelings, it now becomes our own personal responsibility to incorporate more of these types of activities into our lives. Here is where most people begin to stumble, and the stumbling block I am referring to has a name. It is called “settle for”. The “safe” route through life rarely produces any significant results, and is a common source of apathy and unhappiness for countless millions. Choosing a “safe” route through life is choosing to rob yourself of the passion you so desperately need to succeed at whatever it is that you are trying to do. There are lots of reasons why people may choose to live a life void of passion. The reasons typically begin with disempowering statements like “I would, but you don’t really understand MY circumstances”, or “I tried once and it didn’t work”. These are nothing more than excuses that keep us in the “safe zone” and keep us from ever accomplishing anything truly meaningful.
In the next post we will deal with overcoming fears to taking action towards our desired results.
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