Following Your Passion

This term is bantered about quite a bit and it often conjures up different feelings for different people. One emotion that often comes up is actually anxiety. There is a lot of fear in the idea of following ones passion in life. I think that's because we have this image of someone dropping everything: job, family, friends, etc. and heading off on some crazy adventure to 'follow their passion.' As if we have to give up everything to follow some gigantic passion in life. Or, we get anxious because we don't even know what we're passionate about.

The reality is actually much simpler, and no reason for anxiety. Instead, ask yourself what interests you. And then--pursue it! If you are interested in knitting then get a couple books, or a knowledgeable friend, some yarn and get to it! I have followed so many interests over my life and have not regretted a single one. Have I been passionate about all of them? You bet. Has that passion remained for every one of them? Nope. It doesn't have to--don't get weighed down by the idea that what makes us passionate can't change, or that we have to stay passionate about it all our lives.

I recently started learning to play the guitar. This is something I've wanted to do for years. Now I carry my guitar with me and play it (or try to!) as often as I like. I love it. Does this mean I'm going to join a band and tour the country? Highly unlikely. But...that's the beauty of following things that interest you--they can lead you down different paths in life. Or lead nowhere other than being mentally engaging and fun--and that is actually very important for our health.

A gentleman by the name of Dr. Bach discovered this point a long time ago. Dr Bach had kind of frail health and was often ill. He found that when he was mentally engaged in something he enjoyed doing that his health improved. He loved to research and experiment. This lead to Dr Bach developing the Bach Flower remedies which are used all over the world to treat emotional problems.

So, if you don't know what you are passionate about, ask yourself what interests you. Get a book on it. Research it on the internet. Get mentally engaged about it and, above all, have fun with it! When we are pursuing what we enjoy we are following our passion and it can lead down many fun and interesting paths. And you never know, maybe someday you'll make a career out of one of your passions...

Have fun!