How do you know you’ve found passion? These 10 indicators ensure there’s no doubt.
“Notice when your hearts leaps up in joyous exuberance…in these moments the voice of the spirit is speaking directly to you.” Justine Willis Tom
We all have burning passion* within, but by our 50’s it can feel like the flame has been permanently extinguished after years of taking care of others and doing what needs to be done.
*note-the use of the word passion refers not to the romantic variety but the vigorous enthusiasm you feel when what you’re doing what you know you were meant to do.
Passion is there…deep down….safely stored in the vault of the soul.
Dig and you’ll find it.
YUMMY AGING requires that you do.
Here’s 20 questions to get you started.
PASSION – Just the Facts
The truth about Passion -Passion is not only what make us most happy but it’s how we make our most important contributions. Passion fuels PURPOSE where we are in service to the world, leave our mark and grow a proud legacy.
10 indicators you’ve found Passion
1. You feel pure joy
2. There’s a tingling-inside-with-excitement that won’t go away
3. You feel purposeful
4. You feel connected to Life
5. You talk, act, think with enthusiasm
6. You lose track of time
7. You feel energized and it’s as if you could go on and one
8. People comment that you seem to be ‘lit from within’
9. People say you glow
10. You feel there is an ease and flow to life
3 signs to keep digging
1. Life is a struggle
2. Everything is hard
3. You are always tired and depleted of energy.
What if……
What if you find your passion and that dastardly inner critic starts babbling?
Something like this, “Passion shmassion…what are you thinking? …you’re too old for this stuff. What if – you don’t know how to start living it? What if-it’s in opposition to the life you’re in? What if – you go for it and fail, fall flat on your face?
The inner critic’s negative thoughts and worries could replace the feeling of pure joy and replace it with fear bringing everything to a full STOP. Suddenly immobilized by fear we could decide to leave things just as they are.
Or NOT.
It may take some doing but we will send fear and the inner critic packing from this vulnerable place of creating. Tomorrow. Stay tuned.
“The most fortunate people on earth are those who have found a passion that’s bigger than they are-that’s moves them and fills their lives with constant aliveness and growth.” Richard Leider
reACTION [to change in the response to stimulus]: Create a Passion doodle
Last year 3 friends and I participated in an OWN online course featuring the author of The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown. What we loved most was the art project that accompanied each segment. We giggled like 8 years old at a birthday party as we played with crayons, markers, paint and glitter. The idea was to turn our insights from that chapter into art. But there was something much deeper happening. As we artfully played we were transferring the understanding from head to heart where it imprinted in our consciousness. The course is long finished and the art idea is a keeper. I’m doodling. Taking my insights and doodling them where the meaning is further infused. My canvas is a 3 X 5 recipe card. The doodle (above) Passion…signifies (to me) that passion and heart and intrinsically intertwined and I must stay in my heart to keep passion fueled. When a thought has been successfully ‘doodled’ (I often use them as a blog visual) I post it on a whiteboard right in front of my computer where I see it everyday and am happily reminded of what I know. Give it a try.
Just as I was about to press PUBLISH a review for a book The Doodle Revolution crossed my path (call it synchronicity). I explored. Written by Sunni Brown it makes the case for the incredible power of doodling as a tool to deepen the thinking process and promote creative and critical thinking.
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